Aid.  Jour.  Phartn.\ 
April,  1899.  j 
Obituary. 
207 
A  valuable  paper  on  "  The  Estimation  of  Nitrates  and  Ammonia  in  Water  " 
was  read  by  Prof.  F.  X.  Moerk  (see  page  157). 
Christopher  Koch,  Jr.,  presented  a  communication  on  "A  Proximate  Analysis 
of  Yellow  Pine  Bark  "  (see  page  164). 
Professor  Remington  directed  attention  to  a  beautiful  specimen  of  asbestos 
which  was  presented  by  Mr.  Mattison,  a  student  of  the  College.  Professor 
Lowe  exhibited  samples  of  morphine  and  quinine,  the  former  being  in  the 
form  of  small  cubes,  so  as  not  to  be  mistaken  for  the  latter.  The  samples  of  al- 
kaloids represented  products  of  the  New  York  Quinine  and  Chemical  Works. 
On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 
Thomas  S.  Wiegand,  Registrar. 
OBITUARY. 
Wii,he;I/M  Merck,  the  senior  member  of  the  chemical  manufacturing  house 
of  E.  Merck,  died  in  Darmstadt,  on  January  12,  1899.  He  may  be  said  to  be 
one  of  the  fathers  of  the  chemical  industry  of  Germany,  and  the  following 
sketch  was  taken  from  Merck's  Market  Report: 
"  He  was  born  in  Darmstadt  on  October  11,  1833.  His  father,  the  Grand- 
ducal  Superior  Medicinal  Councillor  and  Apothecary,  Heinrich  Emanuel 
Merck,  was  a  great-grandson  of  Johann  Heinrich  Merck,  known  in  literary 
history  as  a  friend  and  critic  of  the  poet  Goethe;  and  he  was  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Jacob  Friedrich  Merck,  who  in  1668  founded  the  Merck  Pharmacy  in 
Darmstadt,  from  which  grew  the  present  Merck  Chemical  Works.  Wilhelm 
Merck's  preparatory  education  was  obtained  in  the  humanistic  and  technologic 
high  schools  ("Gymnasium"  and  "  Gewerbeschule ")  of  his  native  town. 
His  first  introduction  into  the  study  of  chemistry,  which  he  had  resolved  to 
make  the  pursuit  of  his  life,  was  given  him  by  Remigius  Fresenius.  Later  on, 
his  steps  in  this  science  were  guided  by  Loewig,  at  the  University  of  Breslau. 
Thence,  he  was  called  back  to  Darmstadt  by  the  death  of  his  father,  at  that 
time  the  head  of  the  Merck  establishment.  His  scientific  attainments,  how- 
ever, were  not  yet  adequate  to  his  ideal  conception;  and  so  he  went  abroad 
once  more  for  the  purpose  of  extending  the  scope  of  his  knowledge.  The 
celebrated  chemist,  A.  W.  Hofmann,  was  at  that  time  teaching  in  London, 
and  Wilhelm  Merck  remained  several  terms  under  his  tuition;  after  which  he 
spent  one  semester  in  Wurtz's  laboratory  in  Paris  ;  thereupon  returning  to 
Darmstadt,  where  he  joined  his  elder  brothers,  Karl  and  Georg,  in  the  conduct 
of  the  Merck  house.  After  Georg  Merck's  death,  in  1873,  Wilhelm  Merck 
assumed  control  of  the  laboratories  and  works,  while  to  his  brother  Karl  fell 
the  task  of  directing  the  commercial  operations  of  the  house.  When  Karl 
;  Merck  died,  in  1885,  the  surviving  brother,  Wilhelm,  became  the  head  of  the 
house,  the  affairs  of  which  he  then  continued  to  manage  with  the  assistance  of 
his  nephews.  The  energy  and  wisdom  with  which  he  carried  out  this  task  is 
best  demonstrated  by  the  facts  that  the  number  of  employees  in  the  manu- 
facturing establishment  of  E.  Merck  is  at  present  nearly  twenty- fold  what  it 
was  when  Wilhelm  Merck  entered  into  the  administration  of  the  house,  in 
i860;  and  that,  during  his  continuance  in  the  firm,  it  established  the  branch 
houses  in  New  York,  London  and  Moscow.    The  New  York  branch,  in  1889, 
