Biography of Berzelius. 175 
existed in most compound substances. By adopting oxygen as 
unity, all calculations were greatly simplified. Berzelius took it 
as 100, Wollaston as 10. Berzelius remained true to his opin- 
ion to the last, and always declared himself against that of Prout, 
even when, in 1840, it was again adopted by Dumas, who at- 
tempted to prove its truth for at least a few elements by actual 
experiment. It is true that the atomic weights of several of the 
non-metallic elements appear to be multiples of that of hydrogen, 
but it has not been possible to maintain Prout’s views as regards 
others. So long as we are ignorant whether this correspondence 
is merely accidental, or actually a law of nature, we must suspend 
a decision. 
especially in such proportions that one atom of one element 
unites with one atom of another, assumed also that when, for ex- 
ample, several oxyds of an element existed, the oxygen atoms of 
the higher oxyds were multiples of oxygen in the lowest oxyd. 
But when only one oxyd was known, it was obviously very haz- 
ardous to assume that it consisted of equal atoms of both elements, 
Without taking any notice of the other relations of this compound. 
Berzelius studied all the circumstances with the greatest attention, 
and the caution as well as penetrating tact with which he pro- 
ceeded, are evident from the fact, that, when subsequently, Mitsch- 
erlich, by his important discovery of Isomorphism, furnished an 
admirable means of recognizing with certainty bodies having sim- 
ilar atomic composition, it was not necessary for Berzelius to 
make any alteration in his views. 
ed by him must 
peroxyd of 
ut one atom of metal and one atom of oxygen, and, 
formerly adopted 
be reduced to one-half. The higher oxyds, such P 
