54 LIFE AND EXPERIENCES CHAP. 



Bunsen had a keen sense of humour. One day 

 a student came to him to request him to sign a certifi- 

 cate of attendance at his lectures, which he usually did 

 without hesitation, adding the common expression, " mit 

 ausgezeichnetem Fleiss." On this occasion, however, he 

 hazarded the remark that he had not noticed the pre- 

 sence of the gentleman in question, for of course in the 

 German Universities it is " frei lehren und frei lernen," 

 no roll being called or note taken of either " absents " 

 or " presents." The student then replied : " Yes, sir, 

 and that is accounted for by the fact that I sit behind 

 the pillar.'* " Ah," said Bunsen, "so many sit behind 

 the pillar." 



On another occasion one of his assistants, wishing 

 to see whether the professor could give him off- 

 hand the formula of a complicated organic com- 

 pound, brought him a bottle containing a specimen of 

 quinine which he was about to label. " Herr Pro- 

 fessor," said he, " this is quinine. I have forgotten the 

 exact formula can you give it to me ? " " Ach, Herr 

 Doktor," said Bunsen, " wozu sind denn die Hand- 

 bUcher ? " 



The new laboratory drew a still greater crowd of 

 students, and I became intimate with a large number of 

 men who afterwards distinguished themselves in vari- 

 ous ways. I have mentioned Lothar Meyer, who 

 became the celebrated professor at Tubingen ; and 

 Hermann, who was the proprietor of some very large 

 chemical works at Schonebeck. Among the rest were 

 Beilstein, who became Professor of Chemistry at the 

 Imperial Polytechnic in St. Petersburg, and the author 

 of the classical work on organic chemistry ; Pebal, who 

 was professor at Gratz, and who many years afterwards 

 was murdered by his servant ; Frapolli, the well-known 

 Senator at Milan; Pavesi, professor at Pavia ; Schisk- 



