8 Tfie American Ocolotjl.^t. .i.nuian, isna 
This atlitudc of Or. Tluiit towards tlii' atouiic tlieorv and the 
concrotc notions of atoms and niolccnlos has hccn assunicd in 
past years l»y sonic distinguished chemists and is not yet wiiolly ol>- 
solete. It was due, with littk' doul)t, to tlic reaction which liad 
set in from X\w mistalven fear tliat cliemists liad been led ufield 
by tlie lirilliant <i-cnerali/cations of lieiv.elius. Tli«' writer lias else- 
where consider(>d tliis panic." luit it is pertinent to mention briefly 
the facts here. 
The gi-i'at Berzelins liad successfully determined the least com- 
bininu' weights of a great nundierof sul)stances, and iiad Ix'en led 
to a))plv to these weights the theory of Dalton, and a theory 
bused ui)on the (dectrical results of Sir num|)lirey Davy. 
lie had thus liuilt up his system of atoms, binary, and ternary 
compounds: eacdi moleeide of the latter two being composed of an 
electr()-i)ositive and an electi'o-negative element oi' compound, 
lie madethe sinule mistakt'of supi)Osing that in a supposed electro- 
])Ositive group no cU'ctro-negatiNc clement could l)e . found. 
'When he carried this idea into the synthesis of organic com- 
pounds, he was met by discoveries (such as Melsens' in 1S42, oi 
chloracetic acid) which rendered it iinpossil)le for him to maintain 
this Inpothesis. It was not duly considered at the time that the 
l)ortion of the lier/celinn hypothesis which was proven to lie incon- 
sistent with the facts was a minor and unessential part of the 
mIioIc. and that the great and important gcnei-alization of this 
master among masters remained untoucluMl. His inetfcctual ef- 
forts to bolster U}) the fallacious \n\Y\ of his system threw doubt 
on it all, and one l)y one his strongest supportei's al)andoned his 
entire l)eautiful theory for a species of (diemical agnosticism. 
Finally, in 1S4S. (inielin. in the colossal dictionary of cliemis- 
trv, ( humorousl\- called • -a handbook. ") aliandoned all attempts at 
grai)hic descrii)tion of comi)ounds and went l);ick to the ai)[)arent 
weight of condiination of La\-oisicrs time. This timorousness of 
the chemists of that dayalfected the progress of theoiT for lu-arly 
thirty years, and it was during these years that l>r. Hunt was 
active in research. [See thellistory of Chemistry by von Meyer. 
Iiei[)/,iii', 1SS!I|. Tlu' motive of this altandonmcnt of the gi'ound 
«o ualhiiitlv won by Uerzelius was doubtless a good one. \i/,: the 
desire to avoid the faults of the alchemists, and to conline the 
■"■■• Tlie Helps and Hindrances to liie I'rd.uress of Ciieniical Theory,'' 
Inlroduclion to clitMiucal lecture course at llie I'rnnklin Institute, 
November Itltli. lS!)tl. 
