SCIENCE. 



243 



In spite of the loss of time, occasioned by his continued 

 ill-health, his sharp, grasping intellect enabled him to pass 

 with honors the examination for admission to university 

 study (Abititrienten-Examen) at the comparatively early age 

 of seventeen (1823). After five years of further practical work 

 as an apprentice and clerk in his father's store and pharma- 

 ceutical labratory, he went to Heidelberg (1828) studying 

 chemistry with Gmet.in. After another lustrum spent in 

 various studies, there as well as at Berlin, and finally at 

 Bonn, he returned to his home at Koblenz (1833) with the de- 

 gree of Ph. D* After having passed his State 's Examination, 

 he married, and had, at the time of his death, two daughters 

 and two sons. The faithful companion of his life, an ex- 

 cellent wife and mother, also survives him. 



In 1840 his father died and he then took charge of the in- 

 heritance faithfully, and for seventeen years conducted 

 the Mohren-Apotheke, as the establishment was popularly 

 called. In 1857, however, he disposed of it in order to de- 

 vote, in retirement, his entire energies to scientific research. 

 He did so for a period of about six years, and then had 

 the misfortune to become involved in pecuniary difficulties 

 arising from the failure of a manufacturing establishment be- 

 longing to his son-in-law, in which he had been special part- 

 ner. The honest fulfillment of all his engagements cost him 

 nearly all his fortune, and was the direct cause of his re- 

 moving to Bonn, where ne settled in 1864 as lecturer (Pri- 

 valdozent). The chair of Pharmacy becoming vacant a year 

 and a half after his settlement at Bonn University, he was 

 appointed to the place. He owed this appointment to the 

 direct influence of Emperor then King William, and theEm- 

 press then Queen Augusta. The latter always took a lively 

 interest in his welfare, which dated from their long resid- 

 ence at Koblenz Castle before the Prince's accession to the 

 throne. The Princess had always been fond of the great 

 man's companv, his conversational powers and his manner of 

 reading being of an unusually high degree of perfection.** 

 In a letter to the writer, his accomplished daughter, Miss 

 Anna Mohr, who acted as his amanuensis for many years, 

 states : 



" In our family circle where he felt himself surrounded 

 by loving care, I have never seen him otherwise than hapoy 

 and contented. Full of feeling and sparkling with humor, 

 he always was appreciative of everything that is noble and 

 beautiful in art and nature. Music and poetry were always 

 especial favorites with him and while Beethoven, Mozart, 

 Haydn and Weber were his ideals in the former, Goethe, 

 Schiller, Shakspeare, Homer, etc., were to him as old ac- 

 quaintances. His wonderful memory enabled him to recite 

 for hours Schiller's Ballads or his William Tell; Goethe's 

 Fausi; Homer's Iliad, and many, many other works of those 

 and other poets. And not only was his recitation masterly 

 and perfect, his reading power of serious, as well as of 



comical pieces was unsurpassed He would at 



the same time master any dialect, new to him, in a few hours, 

 and his many friends and acquaintances owe him many 

 hours of bliss and happiness and many a pleasant evening." 



After having thus fonnd a congenial sphere of action, 

 his genius — no longer dragged down by pecuniary cares — 

 attained full sway. In quick succession he published that 

 series of, not very numerous, yet very important, works which 

 will make his name immortal. His lectures also, those at 

 the University as well as man}' others which he delivered in 

 clubs and societies at Bonn, Cologne, Koblenz, Kief eld and 

 other neighboring cities and his many contributions to 

 scientific as well as other magazines and periodicals won 

 him the hearts equally of his students and his lay-hearers. 

 Of this the immense throng of people, belonging to all 

 classes of society, that attended his funeral, was a sure in- 

 dication. 



♦The honorary title of M. D. was conferred upon him in later years ; 

 he also received the title of Medizinalrath , and was for a period of over 

 thirty years the j-harmaceutical adviser and member of the Rhenish 

 Medical Council. He furthermore was elected corresponding or honorary 

 member by several academies, numerous phar . aceutical and scientific 

 associations in general, among the former being the American Phar- 

 maceutical Association and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, 



** He at this time delivered a course of lectures to Princess Augista at 

 his house, comprising experimental chemistry and applied mechanics 

 (models of steam-engines, etc., being prepared for this special purpose), 

 the Prince and his eldest son (now the Crown Prince of Germany) 

 attending when they stopped at the Castle. 



But, in spite of all this popular recognition, he was not 

 allowed to take that commanding position to which he was 

 entitled by the superiority of his genius. We need only re- 

 mind the reader of Dr. Akin's letter published in No. 15 of 

 " Science," to suggest the causes forthe otherwise almost in- 

 comprehensible fact that Mohr remained an " Extra- Ordin- 

 arius" up to the time of his death. The reason is obvious. 

 Even the Hohenzollern did not undertake serious interven- 

 tion in his interest in regard to this matter ; for, although his 

 loyalty and patriotism were proverbial, his radical views in 

 regard to things theological which he always fearlessly con- 

 fessed, and his unflinching attacks on erroneous views in 

 science, regardless of what position those who proclaimed 

 them might chance to hold, were sufficient causes for the 

 failure of the powers that be to promote his attempts. He 

 remained undisturbed because he recognized auihoiity in 

 matters political, but he was not promoted, because he did 

 not feel bound by any authority in theological and scientific 

 matters, unconditionally. 



The Emperor desisted from interfering after experiencing 

 a resistance on the part of " Cultnsminister Falk" against 

 Mohr's promotion, which he could not overcome. 



When Mohr settled at Bonn University as a Privat-Dozent, 

 he was 57 years of age, i. e., older by several decades than 

 the average of his colleagues, being the senior of most 

 members of the regular faculty themselves. But more than 

 this, he had already at that time shown his inclination and 

 his ability to reform, nay, to revolutionize some of the many 

 branches of science which he mastered (theoretically and 

 practically). This was more than mediocrity and even famous 

 men are willing to endure. And to just such influences 

 Mohr himself — who knew all the various intrigues against 

 and reports about him, which he never raised his finger 

 publicly to lay bare or refute — attributed the bad treat- 

 ment which he received. 



His eldest son, Mr. Carl Mohr, an able chemist, and 

 an accomplished contributor to scientific magazines, writes 

 feelingly, about this matter, as follows : 



". . . .yet it would be interesting to expose without fear 

 or favor the dark doings of that ' official science' of such men 

 as — ■ — , , ,* etc. These men do not want to re- 

 cognize anybody as their equal who does not sail under 

 their colors ; followers and panegyrics are all they care to be 

 surrounded with. But they hate and fear men of an inde- 

 pendent turn of mind who dare have convictions of their 

 own and dare express them, regardless of consequences to 

 either themselves or others. Father has, for instance, by 

 his sharp and telling hits of criticism in his Commentary to 

 the K Pharm. Bor.' made enemies of the whole official clique 

 of , , , and others at Berlin. Those men, in- 

 stead being thankful to a man, far superior to them, who 

 has pointed out errors, and shown how to correct them, 

 have persecuted him to their hearts' content. When, 

 therefore, the commission for the preparation of the ' Phar- 

 macopeia Germanica ' was to be appointed, he was excluded 

 from the list of commissioners intentionally and ostenta- 

 tiously. The man who really was the Nestor of Pharmaceutics 

 in Germany, author of such unrivalled standard works as 

 his ' Pharmcopcea universalis, ' the Commentary, etc., above re- 

 ferred to, a ' Manual of Pharmaceutical Practice,'** a ' Text- 

 book on the Art of Dispensing,'*** and others, was ignored 

 insuch a disgraceful manner. It was a shameful performance, 

 one that has no equal in the whole histor}' of Science." 



The narrative of these occurrences is one of the best il- 

 lustrations of Dr. Akin's views, as expressed in his letter 

 to Prof. Stokes, alluded to before. 



But, although the illustrious man was thus slightingly 

 treated by men, generally far inferior, none of them superior 

 to him, principally on account of his superiority and of 

 the fact that most of his views and arguments were un- 



* The list ot names — I am sorry to say — embraces some of the most 

 renowned professors at Bonn and at Berlin. Mohr's intention was, as I 

 am informed, to give a detailed account of the various intrigues against 

 him in a work he was about to publish, when death overtook him ; to 

 accuse his persecutors and enemies, and lay at their door the guilt, of having 

 deprived him of due recognition and promotion to the place and honors 

 of an ' OrdinariusJ and to justify before the public his conduct of not 

 having until then stooped to answer and refute the indignities thus heaped 

 upon him. G. W. R. 



** Lvhrbuch der Pharmaceutischen Tech nil:: published in six edi- 

 tions (first, 1846) trveral times translated into French and F.nglish. 



*** Kezeptinkunst. 





