CHARACTER AND WORK OF LIE BIG. 57 



lished his work on " Chemistry in its Application to Physiology and 

 Pathology," which he dedicated to Berzelius. In 1844 appeared his 

 first "Familiar Letters on Chemistry," in the Augsburg Gazette. 

 These letters were afterward published with many new ones from time 

 to time in several editions, and by this means he contributed greatly 

 to make chemistry popular, while still keeping it in the most scientific 

 form needful. In 1850 he published a pamphlet on spontaneous com- 

 bustion, on the occasion of the death of the Countess Gorlitz, who had 

 by experts and doctors at Darmstadt and Giessen been declared to 

 have perished from spontaneous combustion, but it was afterward 

 found out that she had not perished in that way, but that she had 

 been murdered by her butler, and afterward burnt. About this time 

 also Liebig effected a reform in the medical studies and examinations 

 in the University of Giessen, and this reform was so important, and 

 effected by so great a participation of public opinion, that we see 

 there how great was his power, although in the university itself he 

 was kept out of office as far as possible. These reforms amounted to 

 nothing less than this complete liberty of study. You know that in 

 this country medical students have no liberty of study ; they are 

 obliged to attend lectures, to have heard at least two-thirds of the lect- 

 ures given, and if it is not certified by the beadle, who comes in to 

 every lecture and takes the names of all present, that they have been 

 present at two-thirds of the lectures, they are not allowed to enter for 

 the examination. This state of things also existed in the German uni- 

 versities previous to this reformation. At that time, however, this was 

 completely done away with, and every student was allowed to obtain 

 his knowledge where and how he pleased. He was not obliged to 

 enter any university whatever, but he was obliged to pass an exami- 

 nation, and to pass that examination publicly, an examination which 

 should so thoroughly test his knowledge that, after he had passed it 

 there could be no doubt whatever about his fitness to follow his pro- 

 fession. Now let me recommend to your attention this most remark- 

 able system of public examination. The extraordinary effect it had on 

 the University of Giessen was this, that, whereas formerly many stu- 

 dents coming unprepared were rejected, since the introduction of pub- 

 lic examinations few rejections have taken place, because the students 

 take great care to get up their subjects and to come so fully prepared 

 that, in the presence of their countrymen, in the presence of any per- 

 son who likes to enter the hall when the examination takes place, they 

 can show that they are fit to follow their profession. 



I have already, I see, passed the time allotted to me, and I shall 

 not detain you many more minutes. In the autumn of the year 1852 

 Liebig left Giessen, having received a call to the University of Mu- 

 nich, where the then King Maximilian was desirous of following his 

 father, Ludwig, on another path of glory. You know that Ludwig 

 had made it his life-business to restore art in Germany and raise it to 



