Matthew Turner (physician)
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Matthew Turner (died 1788), a Liverpool physician, is considered (for example by Berman, 1990) to be the author or co-author of the 1782 pamphlet, Answer to Dr. Priestley's Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, the first published work of avowed atheism in Britain.<ref>Berman, David (1990). A History of Atheism in Britain: from Hobbes to Russell. London: Routledge. Template:ISBN (first published 1988) </ref> Turner was also a pioneer in the use of ether for medical purposes, and wrote a pamphlet on the subject. In a footnote, Turner was the man who introduced Josiah Wedgwood to Thomas Bentley in Liverpool, a friendship which led to the formation of the company that produced the famous pottery.
Turner was a friend of Peter Perez Burdett and his scientific knowledge was referred to Joseph Wright of Derby when he constructed his painting of The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus in 1771<ref name=nicholson>Template:Cite book</ref> which is now in Derby Museum and Art Gallery.