Alexander Dirom (original) (raw)

Lieutenant General Alexander Dirom of Luce and Mount Annan FRS FRSE (21 May 1757 – 6 October 1830) was a British military commander who saw overseas service in Barbados, Jamaica and India. He is remembered not only as a military commander but also as an agricultural improver, which earned him Fellowship of both the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His most notable contribution was to identify the importance of salt in animal diets, leading to the widespread use of "salt-licks" from around 1800. His views on the British corn trade also paved the way to the formulation of the Corn Laws in the early 19th century.