Joseph Henry Gilbert

Joseph Henry Gilbert
Born1 August 1817
Died23 December 1901 (1901-12-24) (aged 84)
NationalityEnglish
AwardsRoyal Medal (1867)
Scientific career
Fieldschemistry

Sir Joseph Henry Gilbert FRS (1 August 1817 – 23 December 1901) was an English chemist, noteworthy for his long career spent improving the methods of practical agriculture. Along with J.B. Lawes, he conducted experiments at Rothamstead for forty years. One of the key findings of Lawes and Gilbert was that cereal crops took up nitrogen from the soil, contrary to the ideas of Justus von Liebig who held that it was obtained only from the air. Their work made Rothamstead a leading centre of agricultural research. Gilbert became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1860.[1]

  1. ^ "Obituary notice: Sir Joseph Henry Gilbert". J. Chem. Soc., Trans. 81: 625–636. 1902. doi:10.1039/CT9028100625.