John Ayrton Paris, FRS (7 August 178524December 1856) was a British physician. He is a possible inventor of the thaumatrope, which he published with W. Phillips in April 1825.[1]
Paris made one of the earliest observations of occupational causes of cancer when, in 1822, he recognised that exposure to arsenic fumes might be contributing to the unusually high rate of scrotal skin cancer among men working in copper-smelting in Cornwall and Wales.[2] He also wrote about accidents caused by explosives in mines and gave lectures on chemistry to the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall,[3] serving as its first secretary.[4] In 1844, he was elected president of the Royal College of Physicians, an office he held until his death. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1821.[5] Paris advocated for the use of scientifically assessed herbal preparations in medical treatment.
The exact date and location of Paris's birth are uncertain, with some sources listing August 7, 1785, and others noting either Cambridge or Edinburgh as his birthplace, a city with which he had connections.[6]
He wrote a number of substantial medical books, including Medical Jurisprudence (co-authored; 1823), a Pharmacologia which first appeared in 1820 and went through numerous editions, Elements of Medical Chemistry (1825) and a Treatise on Diet (1826). He also produced memoirs of other physicians for the Royal College, and Davy's first biography, The Life of Sir Humphry Davy (1831).
Around 1824 Paris wrote Philosophy in Sport made Science in Earnest: Being an Attempt to Implant in the Young Mind the First Principles of Natural Philosophy by the Aid of the Popular Toys and Sports of Youth. It was first published anonymously in 1827, but posthumous editions were credited to Paris. It showed how to use simple devices to demonstrate scientific principles.