Barnabas Wood

Barnabas Wood (May 17, 1819 in Guilderland, New York – May 30, 1875 in Albany, New York) was an American dentist and inventor best known for his discovery of the fusible alloy known as Wood's metal.[1]

Professional life

After briefly attending Albany Medical College in 1841, Wood began practicing dentistry in the company of his brother.[2] In 1851, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee,[1] where he earned his medical degree from the University of Nashville in 1852.[2]

A piece of Wood's metal

In 1860, Wood announced the discovery of an alloy of bismuth, tin, lead, and cadmium, in proportions such that it had a very low melting point; James Dwight Dana subsequently proposed that it be named "Wood's Fusible Metal" in his honor.[3]

Wood remained in Tennessee until the American Civil War began in 1861, at which point his "sympathy with the North" led him to return to New York.[2] In 1867, he earned a degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery.[2]

Wood also edited various periodicals, including The American Magazine and Repository of Useful Literature (1841–42),[1] Southern Journal of Medical and Physical Sciences (1853–?),[2] and The Dental Circular and Examiner (1860–1865).[1]

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References
  1. Finding aid for the Barnabas Wood Papers: MS.3459, at the Library of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; retrieved July 28, 2014
  2. Biographies: BARNABAS WOOD, in the Transactions of the Medical Society of the County of Albany (1888)
  3. Ask the Historian: Onion's Fusible Alloy, by William B. Jensen, in the Journal of Chemical Education (archived at the University of Cincinnati), volume 87, page 1050-1051; published 2010; retrieved July 28, 2014
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