Am.  Jour.  Pharm.\ 
April,  1897.  J 
Hermann  Hager. 
187 
volume  in  1880.  This  master  work  fully  represented  the  accumu- 
lated knowledge  of  the  past,  largely  enriched  by  his  own  vast  stock 
of  theoretical  knowledge  and  practical  experience  in  all  branches  of 
pharmacy,  and  of  analytical  and  microscopical  application,  and  of 
the  examination  and  estimation  of  drugs,  chemicals  and  of  foods. 
It  at  once  superseded  all  similar  older  works  and  became  the 
standard  text  and  guide  book,  as  well  as  an  almost  never-failing 
reference  work  for  pharmacists  and  druggists  far  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  Fatherland.  It  made  the  name  of  Hager  a  household  word  in  phar- 
macy and  the  drug  trade  all  over  the  world,  and,  at  least  abroad,  is 
still  a  widely  used  pharmaceutical  reference  book. 
During  the  remaining  years  of  his  residence  in  Pulvermiihle, 
Dr.  Hager  accomplished  a  great  deal  of  analytical  work  for  revis- 
ion and  verification,  elaborated  a  study  on  oil  of  turpentine  and  its 
detection  as  an  adulterant  of  essential  oils,  and  revised  a  number  of 
his  works  for  republication  in  new  editions.  In  188 1  Dr.  Hager  re- 
moved, after  the  death  of  his  only  friend  in  his  lonely  retirement,  a 
physician,  to  Frankfort-on-the-Oder,  where  he  lived  in  strict  retire- 
ment until  1896.  Here  he  continued  his  customary  laboratory  and 
literary  work,  completed  several  revisions  of  his  larger  books  and 
furnished  various  periodicals  with  occasional  contributions.  From 
the  editorship  of  the  Ce?itralhalle  and  the  Industrie  Blatter  he  had 
retired  in  1879,  allowing  his  name  to  be  retained  on  the  title-pages. 
Until  1890  Dr.  Hager  enjoyed  excellent  health  and  the  full  powers 
of  his  inquisitive  and  prolific  mind  and  activity,  always  occupying 
himself  with  literary  work  or  study,  and  in  later  years  collecting 
minerals  and  conchyts ;  but  in  this  year  he  became  a  victim  to  influ- 
enza, and  since  then  his  health  failed  in  consequence  of  occasional 
relapses  of  this  malady.  In  anticipation  of  the  approach  of  the  end 
of  his  struggles,  the  octogenarian  resorted,  with  the  most  sympa- 
thetic and  affectionate  companion  of  his  life,  his  wife,  in  July,  1896, 
to  the  home  of  one  of  their  sons,  living  in  the  town  of  Neu  Rup- 
pin,  near  Berlin.  Here  he  spent  the  last  few  months  of  his  earthly 
life  in  peaceful  meditation,  kindly  remembered  by  a  few  noble  friends. 
In  December,  Dr.  Hager  suffered  a  severe  relapse  of  influenza  from 
which  he  did  not  recover.  On  the  24th  of  January  he  quietly  fell 
asleep  to  eternal  rest,  from  an  active  and  most  useful  life,  replete 
with  superior  work  and  generous  efforts  for  his  fellow-men,  but 
devoid  of  public  recognition  and  honors  at  home.    His  devoted 
