Which well known scientist, who was the illegitimate son of a wealthy nobleman, once published a paper in a journal describing the composition of a female teardrop?

Sio	Well Leonardo Da Vinci was the illegitimate son of a wealthy nobleman but I don't know whether he published a paper in a journal describing the composition of a female teardrop. Aug 17 06, 1:41 AM

peasypod

Well, finding out who published that paper would be a good start to answering this one... Aug 17 06, 3:48 PM

peasypod

I'm feeling generous today... This chemist founded something which shares its name with a novel and a 'heavenly body'. Aug 18 06, 6:28 PM

gdec1

James Smithson was a British mineralogist and chemist noted for having left a bequest in his will to the United States of America, which was used to fund the Smithsonian Institution. Smithson published at least twenty-seven papers on chemistry, geology, and mineralogy in scientific journals. His topics included the chemical content of a lady's teardrop, the crystalline form of ice, and an improved method of making coffee. The Smithsonian Institution (novel), a novel by Gore Vidal 3773 Smithsonian, an asteroid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Smithson Aug 18 06, 8:09 PM

peasypod

On the mark, gdec, just what I was after, so another Golden Whatzit for you. Aug 18 06, 10:44 PM