Although Joseph Black was born in France, he was of Scottish ancestry. His father had moved to Bordeaux to enter the wine trade. After going to private school in Ireland, Black entered Scotland's University of Glasgow. Pressed by his father to select a career, he chose medicine and began studying chemistry under William Cullen (1710-1790). The subject quickly fascinated Black, who remained close to Cullen throughout his career. Black completed his studies at the University of Edinburgh and earned his M.D. in 1754.

As a medical student, Black had become interested in kidney stones, which were then treated with limewater. Hoping to find a better agent for dissolving them, Black investigated the carbonate minerals that form the stones. His doctoral thesis on this topic is a classic in the field of chemistry. It not only served as a model of logical, quantitative experimentation, but also demonstrated that carbon...