Aru.  Jour.  Pharm. ') 
October,  1898.  j 
Obituary. 
535 
be  best  served  by  placing  the  Laboratory  during  the  coming  year  under  the 
supervision  of  Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sadtler,  with  Josiah  C.  Peacock,  as  assistant  in 
charge,  he  having  served  in  that  capacity  for  several  years  under  Professor 
Trimble.  Thomas  S.  Wiegand, 
Secretary . 
OBITUARY. 
Dr.  John  Elishee  De  Vrij,  C.  I.E.,  died  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  on  Sun- 
day, July  31st,  at  his  home  in  The  Hague.  He  was  born  on  January  31,  1813,  at 
Rotterdam,  where  his  father  was  a  pharmacist.  He  was  brought  up  to  the  pro- 
fession of  his  father,  and  devoted  himself  with  considerable  studiousness  to 
making  himself  a  competent  pharmacist.  When  he  was  but  nineteen  years  of 
age  his  father  died.  Young  de  Vrij  was  the  youngest  of  ten  children,  and  his 
mother  was  dependent  upon  the  pharmacy  for  their  support.  "By  special 
royal  dispensation  de  Vrij  was  authorized  to  submit  himself  for  the  qualifying 
examination,  though  he  had  not  yet  attained  the  minimum  legal  age."  His 
previous  efforts  enabled  him  to  successfully  pass  the  examination  with  honors, 
and  he  carried  on  the  pharmacy  for  eighteen  years.  He  subsequently  studied 
at  Leyden  University,  and  took  his  doctor's  (Ph.D.)  degree  there  in  1838.  When 
his  tutor,  Mulder,  was  called  to  Utrecht  University  he  was  appointed  lecturer 
in  his  stead  in  chemistry  and  pharmacy  at  the  Medical-Pharmaceutical  School 
at  Rotterdam. 
He  began  now  to  devote  himself  most  assiduously  to  scientific  work,  although 
still  keeping  his  pharmacy.  He  carried  out  a  series  of  successful  experiments 
which  may  be  said  to  have  laid  the  foundation  of  modern  bacteriology. 
"  In  1847  he  improved  the  processes  for  the  manufacture  of  explosives,  ulti- 
mately preparing  nitro-glycerin  and  determining  certain  of  its  medical  proper- 
ties." He  was  a  constant  visitor  to  England  at  the  meetings  of  the  British 
Association  for  1847-1851.  These  and  other  oft-repeated  journeys  to  that 
country  gained  him  the  name,  given  him  by  Professor  Graham,  of  the  "  Flying 
Dutchman."  He  also  devoted  himself  to  literary  work,  and  made  a  Dutch 
translation  of  the  famous  Heinrich  Rose's  "Handbook  of  Analytical  Chem- 
istry." The  result  of  this  task  brought  him  into  direct  correspondence  with 
the  foremost  chemists  of  the  day,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Pelletier,  for 
whom  Dr.  de  Vrij  always  entertained  the  highest  regard  and  esteem. 
In  1850  Dr.  de  Vrij  saw  his  way  clear  to  sell  his  pharmacy,  and  devote  himself 
undividedly  to  his  literary  and  scientific  work.  He  had  already  published 
numerous  papers  on  pharmaceutical  subjects,  as  morphine,  cherry  laurel  water, 
red  phosphorus,  etc.  It  may  be  mentioned  that  it  was  through  Pelletier's  influ- 
ence and  advice  that  he  undertook  certain  investigations  on  the  cinchona  alka- 
loids. His  researches  attracted  considerable  attention,  and  induced  the  Dutch 
Government,  in  1857,  to  send  him  as  a  supervisor  of  the  development  of  cin- 
chona plantations  in  Java.  He  remained  there  six  years,  and  accomplished  an 
immense  amount  of  good  in  successful  development  of  the  cinchona  industry. 
He  then  visited  India  and  assisted  the  Indian  Government  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  cinchona  and  the  extraction  of  alkaloids.  For  his  services  in  this  direc- 
tion he  was  awarded  by  the  Queen  of  England  with  the  CLE.  in  1880. 
He  has  been  the  recipient  of  many  honors.  In  1856  he  was  elected  an  honorary 
