55 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Wuhler's duties as professor at the Gewerbeschule naturally directed 

 his attention to technical chemistry, and in the autumn of 1833, in 

 company with his intimate friend Magnus, he made a journey to France 

 and England, to visit laboratories and chemical works, and on this 

 tour had the opportunity to become personally acquainted with the 

 most eminent living scientists of that period. In March, 1836, Pro- 

 fessor Stromeyer having died the previous year, Wohler was called to 

 Gottingen.as Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Director of the 

 Laboratories, and Inspector-General of all the Apothecaries of the 

 Kingdom of Hanover. His place in Cassel was supplied by Professor 

 Robert Bunsen, who previous to that time had been a docent at Got- 

 tingen, and at the present time is the renowned teacher at the Uni- 

 versity of Heidelberg. Wohler could not at first refuse the post of 

 Director of the State Apothecaries, and for twelve years traveled over 

 the kingdom at great inconvenience and loss of time ; he finally re- 

 signed this branch of the service, and gained more time for research. 

 He has been seven times elected Dean of the Medical Faculty, until he 

 declined a further nomination. 



In 1860 "Wohler was made permanent Secretary of the Royal Hano- 

 verian Academy of Sciences, to succeed Hausmann, and this position 

 he continues to hold at the present time, attending to all the duties of 

 correspondence with the punctuality of a young man, recalling his in- 

 timate friend Dumas, who at the same age holds a similar post in the 

 French Institute. 



In 1873 the fiftieth anniversary of Wohler's doctorate was cele- 

 brated with great pomp by the students of the university, and on the 

 31st of July, 1875, being the fiftieth year of his active career as a 

 teacher, and the seventy-fifth of his age, addresses and congratulations 

 were poured in upon him from all parts of the world. During the cur- 

 rent year, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of Wohler's 

 birth, the demonstrations of honor and rejoicing will be general at all 

 of the seats of learning in Europe and America, and a presentation of 

 a gold medal will be made to him to commemorate the interesting 

 event. In the course of a long and distinguished career, the univer- 

 sities, learned societies, and sovereigns of Europe have vied with each 

 other in conferring honors upon Wohler. He received the Order of 

 Merit from Prussia, the highest title of dignity from Hanover, and was 

 elected one of the eight foreign associates of the French Institute, and 

 the Emperor Napoleon made him an officer of the Legion of Honor; and 

 so many decorations and diplomas have been presented to him that the 

 mere catalogue would fill a page. The principal published works of 

 Wohler have been his translations of Berzelius's " Yearly Reports," and 

 Berzelius's " Text-book of Chemistry " ; also " Grundriss der Unor- 

 ganischen Chemie und der Organischen Chemie " ; " Mineral Analyse 

 mit Beispielen," etc. These books have passed through numerous edi- 

 tions, and latterly the " Organic Chemistry " has been edited by Pro- 



