John Dalton (1766-1844), British chemist, physicist and meteorologist. Dalton's atomic theory that explained chemical changes was published in 'A New System of Chemical Philosophy' (1808). Dalton's law (1801) concerned partial pressures for gases. He also worked on colour blindness (1794). In his hand are spheres with his symbols representing chemical elements (sulphur, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium). Dalton was Fellow of the Royal Society (1822), corresponding member (1816) and foreign associate (1830) of the French Academy of Sciences, and honorary DCL (Doctor of Civil Law) at the University of Oxford (1832).