XIX 



celebrated Gottingen Laboratory was built under his directions, and 

 here he continued to work assiduously at his science. Some hundreds 

 of researches testify to the diligence with which he worked during 

 these years. Up to the year 1862 " Poggendorif's Annalen " already 

 contained 225 papers by Wohler. Students nocked from all parts of 

 the world to study under his guidance. 



Wohler's work " Der Gundriss der Chemie," of which new editions 

 have appeared from time to time until quite recently, has been trans- 

 lated into English, French, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish. His book 

 " Mineralanalyse in Beijnelen" also passed through several editions. 

 From 1838 Wohler was Liebig's colleague in editing the "Annalen 

 der Chemie und Pharmacie," and he published in conjunction with 

 Liebig and others the " Handworterbuch der Chemie " (Dictionary of 

 Chemistry). 



It is hardly necessary to mention that Wohler received numerous 

 honours and distinctions. Scientific societies were glad to number 

 him among their members. The German Chemical Society elected 

 him President. He was Knight of the Order " Pour le Merite." He 

 was elected a foreign member of the Royal Society in 1854, and 

 received the Copley Medal in 1872. On his eightieth birthday his 

 friends, pupils, and colleagues presented to him a beautifully executed 

 relief in marble of himself, together with a gold medal struck in his 

 honour. 



Of late years Wohler had ceased to work at research, although he 

 continued to teach and occasionally to publish short papers. A letter 

 written in 1878 to Dr. Victor Meyer gives a good idea of the spirit 

 of quiet contemplation in which the old man rested from his labours. 

 A few words are necessary to explain the occasion of this letter. In 

 the summer of 1878 Victor Meyer had been giving to his students a 

 somewhat detailed account of the discovery of urea, when it suddenly 

 occurred to him that it was just fifty years since this synthesis had 

 been accomplished by Wohler, which fact he mentioned to his class. 

 The consequence was that after the lecture the students sent Wohler a 

 telegram of congratulation, to which was appended a large number 

 of signatures. The following letter came shortly afterwards in 

 reply— 



Gottingen, 26. Juni 1878. 



Hochverehrter Herr College ! 



Sie haben mir die Ehre erwiesen in Ihrer Vorlesung meiner zii 

 gedenken, und haben das Interesse an dem Gegenstande Ihres Vortrages 

 bei Ihren Zuhorern so lebendig zu erregen verstanden, dass dieselben 

 veranlasst wurden durch ein in liebenswiirdigster Form abgefasstes 

 Telegramm mir ihre Gliickwiinsche zu dem f unfzigjahr lichen Jubilaum 

 der kiinstlichen Bildung des Harnstoffs darzubringen. Ichbitte Sie> 

 Ihren Herren Zuhorern f iir diese uberaus freundliche Auf merksamkeit 



