SCHEBLE  AND  HIS  DISCOVERIES. 
49 
SCHBELE  AND  HIS  DISCOVERIES. 
(Translated  and  arranged  from  the  Memoir  of  M.  Cap.) 
By  Mr.  Joseph  Ince. 
Certainly  not  in  this  Journal  should  the  life  and  labours  of 
Scheele  be  unnoticed.  His  career  is  a  bright  example  of  how 
far  the  mind  may  triumph  over  external  difficulties,  and  of  how 
little  value  are  adventitious  aids  when  genius  is  linked  with  per- 
severance. To  us  especially  as  Pharmaceutists  must  the  record 
be  of  interest,  teaching,  as  it  does,  that  nothing  is  denied  to  pa- 
tient industry,  and  that  the  loftiest  results  have  been,  and  there- 
fore may  be  again  within  the  grasp  of  the  man  who  has  to  earn 
his  bread  by  the  humblest  plodding  behind  a  Druggist's  counter. 
Charles  William  Scheele  was  born  at  Stralsund,  December 
9th,  1742.  Stralsund  is  a  town  in  Swedish  Pomerania,  and  now 
belongs  to  Prussia.  He  was  the  son  of  a  small  tradesman,  bur- 
dened with  a  numerous  family.  His  father  placed  him  with  a 
M.  Bauch,  an  old  family  friend,  an  apothecary  at  Gottenburg. 
Apprenticeship  in  Sweden  lasted  generally  six  years,  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  the  apprentice  took  the  title  of  "gar^on,"  and 
later  on,  that  of  assistant  (aide-apothieairey  Scheele's  classical 
studies  had  been  painfully  limited,  and  his  first  essays  in  Phar- 
macy were  more  painstaking  than  successful.  He  was  a  labori- 
ous reader  of  works  relating  to  his  profession,  especially  those 
of  Neumann,  De  Lemery,  De  Stahl,  and  one  of  Kunckel's,  called 
"  The  Laboratory"  ;  and  he  often  worked  out  at  night  experi- 
ments that  the  day's  study  had  suggested.  One  word  will  best 
describe  him — diligent.  After  some  years'  stay  with  M.  Bauch 
he  went  to  Malmoe,  in  Scania,  where  he  spent  five  years  with 
another  pharmacien,  M.  Kaelstroem.  There,  in  silence  and  re- 
tirement, he  devoted  himself  to  the  deep  and  serious  study  of 
Chemistry.  In  1767  he  went  to  Stockholm,  became  assistant  to 
M.  Scharenburg,  superintendent  of  Pharmacy,  and  stopped  there 
three  years ;  after  which  he  went  to  Upsal,  where  Bergmann 
was  a  celebrated  professor.  So  great  was  Scheele's  timidity 
that  he  had  not  the  courage  to  present  himself  before  the  noted 
lecturer,  though,  with  the  zeal  of  a  true  chemist,  he  had  set  his 
heart  upon  the  introduction.  Circumstances,  however,  and  the 
fame  of  some  personal  dexterity  stood  his  friend ;  the  student 
and  the  savant  met,  were  mutually  delighted  with  each  other, 
4 
