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science. Wichterich had some chemical and physical apparatus, with 

 which he later on allowed the boy to experiment. Young Wohler 

 also collected all the stones which struck him as in any way remark- 

 able. In 1814 he went to the Frankfort Gymnasium, which he con- 

 tinued to attend until he went to the University. Amongst his 

 teachers at this period were several men who afterwards became 

 distinguished — F. Ch. Schlosser, Grotefend, C. Bitter, &c. He was 

 regular in his attendance at school, and was moved up to higher 

 classes at the usual rates ; but, as he himself used afterwards honestly 

 to admit, he did not distinguish himself either by any marked industry 

 or progress in knowledge. This may have been partly due to the fact 

 of his having continued to occupy himself zealously with chemical 

 experiments and collecting minerals. He worked so little at mathe- 

 matics, for which he had little taste and aptitude, that he was after- 

 wards obliged to get private lessons in it. He kept up a continual 

 interchange of mineral specimens with several of his schoolfellows, 

 amongst whom were Hermann von Meyer and Menge, who afterwards 

 became a dealer in minerals, and who is well known for his travels in 

 Iceland and among the Oural mountains. Wohler in after years took 

 to Menge at Hanover many a bag of byaliths of his own collecting. 



During this period of Wohler's life Dr. Buch, a highly cultivated 

 and intelligent man who gave private lessons and worked at 

 chemistry, physics, and mineralogy, exercised a considerable influence 

 on his scientific development ; for years Dr. Buch let young Wohler 

 associate with him, and he it was who first incited the young man to 

 study nature seriously. A kitchen in Buch's house served as a labora- 

 tory, in which on specified days they made experiments together. 



Soon after the discovery of selenium, Wohler had noticed the 

 occurrence of this, at that time, rare substance in a sample of Bohe- 

 mian sulphuric acid, and in consequence he sent for some of the ore 

 from which it had been prepared The occurrence of selenium in this 

 substance was proved, but it was not until 1821 that the result was 

 made known to the world by Wohler and Gilbert's " Annalen." The 

 interest of Buch and Wohler was also excited by the newly discovered 

 metal cadmium, and they succeeded in preparing a small quantity, 

 which Wohler afterwards, when on a pedestrian excursion to Cassel 

 and Gottingen, took with him to show to Stromeyer, the discoverer of 

 cadmium, and to get it verified by him. 



Wohler's reverence for Blumenbach, whose "Handbook of Natural 

 History " he had studied assiduously, gave him courage to visit 

 Blumenbach on this occasion, and to take an opportunity of seeing his 

 cabinet of specimens. 



He became now more and more familiar with chemical processes, 

 and whereas in the beginning he had merely had Hagen's "Experi- 

 mental Chemistry," the book from which his father had studied, to 



