XXVI 



In 1845 he was employed in his capacity of Agrege to give Dumas' 

 course of lectures on Organic Chemistry, Dumas being prevented by 

 his political and administrative occupations from attending to his 

 professional duties. 



Wurtz was at this time working in a dark and inconvenient 

 laboratory, situated in the Practical School of the Faculte de 

 Medecine in the Musee Dupuytren. On taking possession of it he 

 found it in such a state that the first thing he did was to go with his 

 assistant, M. A. Rigout, and buy a pot of colour and some brushes, 

 with which he himself painted the black and dirty walls. He was 

 not only particular about neatness and exactness in his work, but 

 attached importance to having a light, cheerful, well-kept labo- 

 ratory. 



Desirous of getting more suitable conditions for work, Wurtz joined 

 in 1850 with two young chemists, Messrs. Charles Dolfus and 

 Verdeil, just returned from a course of practical chemistry under 

 Liebig — to open a laboratory in the Rue Garanciere. The three 

 friends were each to carry on their separate experiments and to take 

 a few pupils, Charles Dolfus contributing the money needed for the 

 undertaking. Wurtz was the real scientific director of the enterprise, 

 and this was practically the beginning of the laboratory in which he 

 accomplished such great work, and in which so many chemists have 

 been trained. Amongst those who worked under his direction in the 

 Rue Garanciere, we may mention Mr. Marcet, well-known for his 

 labours in the department of Biological Science, M. E. Risler, 

 who was already working at the applications of Agricultural 

 Chemistry, and who afterwards became Director of the Institut 

 National Agronomique, and Adolphe Perrot, afterwards Wurtz's 

 assistant at the Faculte de Medecine. 



But though this enterprise of the three young chemists was under- 

 taken to supply a real want — it was not successful ; unfortunately the 

 young men were not long able to keep possession of their laboratory, 

 for the house was very soon sold to a printer ; and they were obliged 

 to quit, and to sell off the fittings, &c, which had been a considerable 

 expense to them. 



It was at about this period that Wurtz became more or less inti- 

 mately acquainted with various men afterwards distinguished in 

 science or literature. Most of these were members of the Societe 

 Philomathque, sometimes called the Ante-Chamber of the Institute. 

 Some of these friends were in the habit of meeting after dinner at the 

 Cafe Procope before going to the meetings of the Society in the 

 Rue Anjou-Dauphine. Occasionally it would happen that the con- 

 versation was so interesting that they prolonged their sitting at the 

 cafe, and did not go at all to the meeting of the Society ; but this 

 was no loss to science when the party consisted of such men as 



