Biography of Berzelius. 25 



when they contradicted, improved, or extended those of 

 others, in the reports. 



These reports were especially long when it was necessary 

 to refute opinions and views which Berzelius considered as 

 detrimental to the progress of science. Thus, the reports of 

 the discoveries of the years 1838 and 1839 contain very de- 

 tailed arguments against the hypothesis that all organic acids 

 are hydrogen acids, and against the substitution theory. 

 These arguments have always a rare clearness and simplicity. 



The objection has often been made to this report, that it 

 was sometimes very complete, and in some instances too 

 extended ; sometimes, on the contrary, especially in the phy- 

 sical part, scanty and imperfect. This is certainly true ; but 

 it was very natural that Berzelius should have a partiality 

 for the treatment of those subjects in which he especially 

 interested himself and of which he was most master ; but as 

 he was almost equally at home in all parts of chemistry, this 

 objection cannot be made to the strictly chemical parts of the 

 reports. With regard to the physical part of the reports, 

 Berzelius had only undertaken it because no other member 

 of the Academy would or could do so. It was only in the 

 years 1838 and 1839 that the report was written by Von 

 Wrede. As Berzelius had only occupied himself with those 

 parts of physics which were intimately connected with che- 

 mistry, it is almost only these parts which are touched upon 

 in his reports. 



In the same way, there was no other reporter to be 

 found for the geological part ; but as Berzelius had never 

 occupied himself specially with geology, and only in so far 

 as it was connected with chemistry, he treated only of the 

 chemical part of that science in his reports, and otherwise 

 noticed only the geological researches referring to Sweden. 

 In the latter volumes reports upon geology are altogether 

 omitted. 



I have thus attempted to furnish a sketch of the compre- 

 hensive scientific activity of Berzelius. It is probably seldom 

 that science is so greatly advanced through the labours of 

 one man, and there is scarcely any chemist who has furnished 

 such admirable and sound contributions as he. 



