Spiers, C. H.; “Sir Humphry Davy and the leather industry'”, Annals of Science 24 (2) (1968) 99-113
DOI:10.1080/00033796800200071 (restricted access) Excerpt from the text:
A somewhat strange feature of the life of Sir Humphry Davy is that during the period roughly between July 1801 and December 1802, when he was intensely interested in galvanism and inorganic chemistry and was at the commencement of a brilliant career, he was caused to divert a considerable part of his time and energies to the organic fields represented by vegetable tanning materials and leather manufacture. This diversion is certainly of great significance to leather chemists, not merely on account of the undoubted merits of his contributions in these fields, but also because they make him a claimant for the title of the first leather chemist.
Moreover, he is the most eminent chemist ever directly to have concerned himself with this ancient industry.