14 HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY. [LECTURE 1. 



French Academy in 1762, to the circumstance that the expla- 

 nation of this remarkable fact had not yet been given ; but 

 that it was to be hoped that the immediate future would furnish 

 some elucidation of the matter. 17 



On the discovery of the composition of water the phlogiston 

 theory was, in my opinion, no longer tenable, and had of neces- 

 sity to be abandoned, since another theory, which was in con- 

 formity with all the facts, was ready to hand. 



The fact that defenders of Stahl's views were still to be 

 found from ten to fifteen years later proves, however, how 

 difficult it is to eradicate prevailing opinions. It shows us 

 how conservative we are by nature, and should make us use 

 every endeavour to shatter our own faith in authority. 



17 Kopp, Geschichte. 3, 129-130. 



