204 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVII. No. 427 



production of silicon from paracyanogen, but has not been 

 able to confirm one of his results. 



As far as pure chemistry is concerned, it was rather a time 

 •of repose. The beginning of the century had been a brilliant 

 time for chemistry in England. Dalton had published his 

 atomic theory; Davy had decomposed potash and soda, and 

 had demonstrated that chlorine was an element; and Caven- 

 dish and Wollaston were then still at work. In fact, the 

 most important discoveries of that time were made in this 

 country ; but I fancy that during this later period a feeling 

 grew up that the age of brilliant discoveries was over, and 

 that, apart from the preparation of a few new compounds, 

 the essential work of the time was analysis and the deter- 

 mination of the percentage composition of bodies. Still 

 much quiet study of the science was going on, as is indicated 

 by the considerable demand which existed for good text- 

 books. Henry's, Turner's. Kane's, and Graham's "Chemis- 

 try," — all these, without mentioning others, went through 

 numerous editions, and played a very important part in the 

 spread of chemical knowledge in our country. 



Another text-book, which is interesting as showing how 

 little organic chemistry was studied in this country, is Dr. 

 Thomas Thompson's work on ''Vegetable Cemistry." Dr. 

 Thompson states in his preface that the object of the book is 

 to lay before the British public a pretty full view of the 

 present state of the chemistry of vegetable bodies; and, fur- 

 ther, he says " that the ultimate analyses he gives have, with 

 very few exceptions, been made upon the continent, and 

 principally in Germany and Prance. British chemists have 

 hardly entered on the investigation." Evidently, then, at 

 this time organic chemistry had been but little studied in this 

 country. 



"When our society was founded, Thomas Graham was cer- 

 tainly the most distinguished chemist in England. He came 

 to London in 1837 as professor of chemistry at University 

 College, succeeding Edward Turner. The work he had 

 already accomplished was of a high order, and he was now 

 occupied in writing his book, which appeared in 1842 



The book was an admirable account of the chemistry of 

 the time. It contained a well-arranged and clearly written 

 introduction, describing the principles and latest discoveries in 

 those branches of physics which bear mo§t directly on chemis- 

 try. There was also an able and succinct account, probably 

 the best which had then appea'ed in this country, of organic 

 chemistry ; and with regard to physiological chemistry, he 

 states in the preface that he gives a "' condensed view of the 

 new discoveries in this department, which now enters for 

 the first time into a systematic work on chemistry." 



There are, however, indications that a knowledge of the 

 discoveries and discussions going on on the continent only 

 ■slowly reached this country. This is strongly insisted on in 

 the Philosophical Magazine of 1841, by Messrs. Francis and 

 Croft, who state that "but little of what is done abroad, 

 especially in Germany, seems to find its way into England, 

 or at least until the lapse of some years." In proof of this 

 statement, they mention results lately published by Dr. 

 Apjohn, Professor Johnston, and Dr. Golding Bird, all of 

 which had been known on the continent some time previously. 

 A valuable series of eommuaications, described as " Notes of 

 the Labours of Continental Chemists," is afterwards com- 

 municated by these chemists to the Philosophical Magazine, 

 and continued for several years. 



The visit of Liebig in 1837, when he attended the meeting 

 of the British Association at Liverpool, must have given 

 some stimulus to the study of organic chemistry in England ; 



and we find that he undertook to report to the British Asso- 

 ciation on isomeric bodies, and also on organic chemistry; 

 and this great undertaking resulted in his two works, — the 

 one " Chemistry, in its Application to Agriculture and 

 Physiology;" and the other, " Chemistry, in its Applications 

 to Physiology and Pathology." Both books were dedicated 

 to the British Association, the first appearing in 1840, the 

 second in 1842. It is very difficult for us now to realize the 

 importance of these works, and properly to appreciate not 

 only the large amount of new knowledge which they con- 

 tained, but, what is of still greater importance, the novelty 

 of treating such subjects in a truly scientific spirit. Gradually 

 this treatment of the subjects became understood and appre- 

 ciated, and peo|)le took a higher view of chemistry, and re- 

 garded it as a true science, and not merely as a study which 

 might lead to useful results. 



If, then, it be true that chemistry at this epoch was not 

 rapidly progressing in this country, we naturally ask how it 

 came about that our society from its very foundation was so 

 successful. The explanation is not difficult to find, nor 

 doubtful; for we have only to turn from our own country 

 to the continent and learn what is happening there. Liebig 

 is atGiessen; Wohler at Gottingen; Bunsen at Marburg; 

 Dumas, Laurent, Gerhardt, and a host of distinguished and 

 active chemists, in France; and at this time even Berzelius 

 and Gay Lussac are alive. Liebig, v?ith his wonderful 

 energy and ability, was powerfully advocating the theory 

 of compound radicles, and was extending in every direction 

 our knowledge of organic chemistry, and inspiring all who 

 came within the range of his influence with a love for in- 

 vestigation. Dumas, at the same time^ both as a chemist 

 and a finished advocate, was advancing his views on substi- 

 tution and chemical types. Laurent, and afterwards Ger- 

 hardt. were with conspicuous ability showing how these 

 theories were to be extended and modified so as to assume a 

 form which has, even with the lapse of time, been but little 

 altered. Thus on the continent it was a time of wonderful 

 activity. Chemistry was every day becoming more of a true 

 science, and the constitution as well as the composition of 

 bodies was actively being discussed and investigated. This 

 activity on the continent took time to reach and really affect 

 us here. The older chemists thought the new theories were 

 visionary and unsound, the simple theories of their younger 

 days were being swept away, and only slowly did they 

 realize the meaning of the newer form of their science; but 

 the wave of progress could not be stopped, and in this coun- 

 try we had been ripening for the change. Clearly the im- 

 mediate cause of this sudden increase of chemical activity in 

 England was Liebig. His famous school had now been 

 established for several years at Giessen; and if the older 

 men in this country did not altogether put their trust in 

 him, the younger men, breaking through all restraint, 

 flocked from this country to his laboratory, there to become 

 indoctrinated with his enthusiasm for the study of chemis- 

 try, and to learn how scientific investigation was to be car- 

 ried on. At this epoch our society was founded ; and our 

 journal shows how successful Liebig's teaching was, how a 

 new spirit was instilled into English chemistry, and how 

 much valuable work his students did. Oar society gave 

 them a ready means of publishing their discoveries, and a 

 meeting-place for discussion and mutual interchange of 

 ideas. Thus do I explain the success which from the first 

 has attended on our society : and, having now led you to this 

 point, I stop, for my part was merely to speak the prologue, 

 and I leave the story of the society's development to others. 



