Silas Laurence Loomis

Silas Laurence Loomis (1822&#45;1896) was an American scientist and educator. He was born in Coventry, Conn.; graduated from Wesleyan University in 1844 and, in medicine, from Georgetown University in 1856. Previous to his study at Wesleyan he had taught at Holliston Academy, Massachusetts; after graduation he was principal of Western Academy, Washington, D. C.,  and subsequently he became professor of physiology at Georgetown. He was astronomer to the United States Coast Survey in 1857, and instructor in mathematics to naval cadets in 1860. From 1861 to 1867 he was professor of chemistry and toxicology at Georgetown, then became dean (until 1872) in Howard University. He invented a process for producing a textile fabric from palmetto, a method for utilizing ores of chromium, and various improvements in instrments of precision. His works include:
 * Normal Arithmetic (1859)
 * Analytical Arithmetic (1860)
 * Key to the Normal Course (1867)
 * The Education and Health of Woman (1882)