BENJAMIN SILLIMAN 95 



He then proceeded to say that the College had resolved to estab- 

 lish a professorship of Chemistry and Natural History. No 

 American appeared qualified to discharge the duties of the office 

 and there were objections to calling a foreigner. The College 

 had therefore decided to select one of its younger graduates and 

 encourage him to prepare himself for the professorship. He then 

 asked Silliman's consent to have his name presented for appoint- 

 ment. The young lawyer was staggered by this suggestion, but 

 after deliberation, he decided to accept the call. Thus began 

 the career which continued for half a century and exerted a 

 strong influence upon the progress of science throughout the 

 United States. 



How should the prospective Professor of Chemistry fit him- 

 self for the post to which he was unexpectedly called? Where 

 could he turn for instruction ? Whom could he consult ? Phila- 

 delphia was then the principal seat of science in America; the 

 influence of Franklin and Rittenhouse was still felt. The Med- 

 ical School had already acquired distinction, and a course of 

 lectures on Chemistry formed a part of its regular courses of 

 instruction. Dr. James Woodhouse was the lecturer, in this 

 subject. Some eclat was given to his instruction by the fact that 

 he had just returned from London where he had been with Sir 

 Humphry Davy. Silliman's picture of the situation is not 

 altogether flattering. The lecture rooms were crowded, there 

 was no assistant, the apparatus was humble, but the experiments 

 were numerous and made a strong impression upon his pupil. 

 Woodhouse seems to have been in advance of his time by ridi- 

 culing the idea that the visitation of yellow fever was a visitation 

 of God for the sins of the people. 



Among the companions of Silliman was Robert Hare, who had 

 then perfected his invention of the oxyhydrogen blowpipe, and 

 presented the instrument to the Chemical Society of Philadelphia. 

 Silliman worked with Hare and made important suggestions 

 for the improvement of this apparatus. Among the other men 

 of science whom he saw were Dr. Benjamin Rush, Dr. Benjamin 

 Smith Barton, Dr. Caspar Wistar and the illustnous Joseph 



