Acid Rain and the Rise of the Environmental Chemist in
Nineteenth-Century Britain  Reed, Peter Date published:  May
2014  Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884) was a Scottish chemist and
a leading investigator into what came to be known as 'acid
rain'. This study of his life and work sheds light on the
evolving understanding of sanitary science during the 19th
century and of the need for regulation and enforcement of the
chemical industries. It offers a fascinating insight into the
changing landscape of British politics and is essential reading
for historians of science, technology and industry in the
nineteenth-century, as well as environmental historians seeking
background context to the twentieth-century environmental
movements.