Henry Letheby

Henry Letheby (1816 – 28 March 1876) was an English analytical chemist and public health officer.

Early life Letheby was born at Plymouth, England, in 1816, and studied chemistry at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. In 1837 he commenced the study of medicine and became the assistant of Jonathan Pereira.

Career He was a lecturer on chemistry at the London Hospital. For some years Letheby was also medical officer of health and analyst of foods for the City of London. He was also appointed chief examiner of gas for the metropolis under the Board of Trade. Letheby was an extremely accurate technological chemist and contributed many papers to The Lancet and other scientific periodicals. He was a fellow of the Linnean Society and the Chemical Society. Letheby's chief work was the treatise On Food, Its Varieties, Chemical Composition, Nutriitive Value, Comparative Digestibility, Physiological Functions and Uses, Preparation, Culinary Treatment, Preservation, Adulteration &c., London, 1870. His official reports on the sanitary condition of London were published from time to time.

Personal life In 1848 he married Elizabeth Carter (1825-1881) of Holloway. He died on 28 March 1876 and is buried with Elizabeth on the east side of Highgate Cemetery.