2i6 Biochemical News, Notes, and Comment 



confusion of his name with that of his colleague. — F. Schenck, direc. 

 Physiol. Inst., Marburg.—/. F. ScJimid, chief Nat'l Public Health 

 Service, Switzerland. — V. A. Tichomirov, prof. pharm, and mater. 

 med., Moscow Univ., Russian Councillor. — Francis IVyatt (N. Y. 

 City), authority on fermentation and brewing. 



Resolution in memory of R. A. Witthaus. The faculty of 

 the Cornell Univ. Med. Coli, has adopted the following memorial on 

 the death of Prof. Witthaus, one of its members, written by Drs. 

 Warren Coleman, W. G. Thompson and W. M. Polk: 



In the death of Dr. R. A. Witthaus, emer. prof. of ehem. (Dec. 19, 

 1915), after a long illness, the med. fac. of Cornell Univ. sustained the 

 loss of one of its most famous men. 



Dr. Witthaus was graduated from Columbia Univ. in 1867 and 

 received the A.M. degree in 1870. He continued his studies at the 

 Sorbonne and the Coli, of France. In 1875 he obtained the degree of 

 M.D. from the Univ. Med. Coli. (N. Y. Univ.). He occupied chairs 

 of ehem. and toxicol., ehem. and physiol., and ehem. and physics, in the 

 univ's of Vermont, Buffalo, and the Univ. Med. Coli. (N. Y. Univ.). 

 In 1898 he was called to the chair of ehem. and toxicol. in Cornell Univ. 

 Med. Coli, and occupied this position until his retirement, for age, in 

 191 1. Since 191 1, he had been emer. prof. of ehem. in Cornell Univ. 

 Med. Coli. 



Dr. Witthaus's career was most notable perhaps for two circum- 

 stances : the eminence to which he rose and for the fact that the subject 

 in which he acquired fame was, in his youth, the plaything of a dilet- 

 tante. His interest in ehem. dated back to his College days, when he 

 converted a room in his father's stable into a lab. where he amused 

 himself with the study of ehem. problems. Reverses in fortune soon 

 compelled him to seek a livelihood in what had been his hobby. 



In his riper years he was without a peer as a medico-legal expert. 

 His Services were often sought by the State in criminal trials involving 

 toxicol. questions and his testimony was always an important, if not 

 the leading factor, in the verdicts of the juries. He made what is prob- 

 ably the most complete catalog of reported cases of poisoning in 

 existence. 



Dr. Witthaus was a prolific, as well as a convincing, writer. His 

 text books, " Essentials of Chem.," " General Med. Chem.," " Manual 

 of Chem. " and " Lab. Guide in Urine Anal, and Toxicol.," were much 



