Alexander Charles O'Sullivan

“ He was elected president of the Royal Irish Academy in 1887.
Haughton's personal character was no less striking than the variety of his scientific attainments. He had the power of influencing men of the most various dispositions to work together in concert, while the charm of his manner and his bright wit, no less than his honesty and directness of purpose, procured him hosts of friends. ”

“ His latest work was in the field of chemistry, and included an endeavour to connect the atomic weights with the valencies of the elements by means of a mathematical curve, and the development of what he called the Newtonian chemistry i.e. the hypothesis that the atoms of chemical elements in acting upon one another obey the Newtonian law of gravitation, with this difference, that, whereas the specific coefficient of gravitation is the same for all bodies, the atoms have specific coefficients of attraction for one another which vary with their chemical nature. ”

“ The fearlessness and energy with which he threw himself into that work was the means of saving many lives. But Haughton's medical course had also a directing influence on his scientific work. He commenced a series of observations on the mechanical principles of muscular action, which were published between 1865 and 1873, chiefly in the 'Proceedings' of the Royal Society and 'Transactions' of the Royal Irish Academy. ”