103 DR. R. ANGUS SMITH ON THE 



work ' Geschichte der Chemie/ by Prof. Kopp — who must 

 be regarded as the writer of the most complete history, 

 although every one who wished to obtain the fullest know- 

 ledge would read also Hoefer's ' Histoire de la Chimie.^ 



If Firmicus used the word cAemia for '^ chemistry ^^ so early 

 as the fourth century^ it is clearly not an Arabic word. 

 We find in the ' Beitrage zur Geschichte der Chemie/ by 

 Prof. Kopp, that it is a word not well defined by him, 

 although from later (still not much later) writers we find 

 that it refers in the same century to gold or metals. Later 

 still, possibly not also at a very early time, the transforming 

 of metals was the absorbing idea. The use of the word 

 went also, as we know, towards the meaning "elixir of life.^' 

 The known tract by Democritus speaks of many chemical 

 subjects, whilst metals and purple dyeing are said to have 

 been treated by him in works not extant ; and he is, by 

 legend at least, said to have learnt the wisdom of the Egyp- 

 tians as well as of the further East. We may take Kopp's 

 period for him as being correct, viz. the fourth century. 

 Everywhere, as we go back, we have our eyes turned to 

 Egypt or Assyria. 



The reason, however, for connecting Chemistry and 

 Egypt can have no sound relation whatever to Plutarch's 

 assertion that Egypt was called Chem because of the black 

 soil. Neither has it to do with the "black art,'' as Dr. 

 Schorlemmer truly remarks — a name never connected with 

 chemistry, although we must remember that some (and one 

 may say many) individuals have combined in themselves 

 the magician and the chemist. The expression " black art " 

 is not of extreme antiquity, so far as I know. I was strongly 

 inclined to doubt the accuracy of Plutarch, although I have 

 not been in Egypt, and to say that the soil is not black, and 

 to think that the people were meant to be alluded to. I have 

 some of the mud of the Nile, brought me by a friend ; and as 



