David Boswell Reid

David Boswell Reid (1805 – 5 April 1863) was a Scottish physician, chemist and inventor. Through reports on public hygiene and ventilation projects in public buildings, he made a reputation in the field of sanitation. He has been called the "grandfather of air-conditioning".

Reid was born in Edinburgh, the second son of Dr. Peter Reid by Christian, eldest daughter of Hugo Arnot of Balcormo, and was the elder brother of Hugo Reid. He was educated at Edinburgh University, obtained his medical diploma on 12 July 1830, and was admitted a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, on 2 August 1831.

In 1831 Reid began to give classes in practical chemistry. He was soon appointed assistant to Thomas Charles Hope, professor of chemistry at the university. In 1833, however, he had a disagreement with Hope. At this point he set up a laboratory of his own. Reid hoped to have a chair in Practical Chemistry set up in his favour; but he came up against Robert Christison as Dean of the Medical Faculty who was opposed, disliking the effect on the existing chair, and regarding Reid's teaching as too mechanical. Reid complained in The Scotsman.

In 1835 at the Dublin meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Reid talked on reform of education in chemistry, and was asked to give evidence to the committee under Thomas Wyse then looking into education in Ireland.

One of his chemistry students was Macquorn Rankine. Reid continued to give private chemistry classes until he moved to London in 1847.

Reid invited participants at the 1834 meeting of the British Association, in Edinburgh, to visit his laboratory; and among those who took up the offer were some members of parliament. Fortuitously there was a very destructive fire at the Houses of Parliament at Westminster later in 1834, and Reid was brought in as a consultant. He did innovative work in the temporary accommodation on forced ventilation. When the new building work started on the same site, he was in a strong position to carry out plans that were systematic as far as ventilation was concerned. He was remembered as "Dr. Reid the ventilator" in the twenty-first century in discussions of energy efficiency, by Lord Wade of Chorlton.

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