Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1905. 
Dr.  Christopher  Witt. 
315 
mann,  the  original  leader,  died  at  Rotterdam,  in  1693,  on  the  eve 
of  his  embarkation  for  America,  and  Johannes  Kelpius,  who  had 
been  second  in  command,  was  selected  to  succeed  him. 
Johannes  Kelpius,  the  son  of  a  Lutheran  clergyman,  had  received 
a  thorough  scientific  as  well  as  religious  training.  He  was  born  in 
1673,  and  was  therefore  only  20  years  of  age  when^selected  magis- 
ter.  Under  the  leadership  of  this  young  and  in  many  respects  in- 
experienced leader,  this  chapter  of  Pietists  finally  undertook  and 
safely  accomplished  its  journey  to  the  New  World. 
Here  they  established  themselves  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
and  romantic  Wissahickon,  just  outside  of  the  German  town  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia. 
A  large  number  of  interesting  facts  relating  to  the  history  of  this 
colony  of  Pietists  in  the  wilderness  have  been  gathered  together  by 
Mr.  Julius  Sachse,  and  constitute  a  large  volume  entitled  "The 
German  Pietists  of  Pennsylvania." 
After  they  had  established  themselves  in  their  new  home  the  Piet- 
ists were  not  content  to  wait  listlessly  for  the  end  of  the  world  to  come, 
but  devoted  their  time  to  agriculture  and  horticulture,  the  growing 
of  medicinal  plants  and  herbs,  the  study  of  astronomy  and  the  prac- 
tice of  alchemy  or  the  black  art.  In  their  experiments  in  the 
latter,  which  were  conducted  only  at  such  times  as  the  stars  were 
favorable,  they  were  assisted  by  several  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
adjoining  German  town,  Philadelphia  and  Burlington,  These  early 
alchemists,  who  appear  to  have  been  quite  numerous,  would  consti- 
tute an  interesting  chapter  in  the  story  of  the  development  of  chem- 
istry in  this  country,  if  the  necessarily  scattered  material  could  be 
brought  together. 
It  is  quite  probable,  also,  that  the  first  herb  garden  on  this  West- 
ern Hemisphere  was  instituted,  in  connection  with  this  colony  of 
Pietists,  in  the  vicinity  of  their  main  building  or  tabernacle.  In 
1704  there  arrived  at  this  colony  on  the  Wissahickon,  a  man  who 
was  destined  to  have  considerable  influence  on  the  development  and 
spread  of  knowledge  in  this  country,  but  who,  in  turn,  was  not  de- 
signed to  have  the  recognition  that  is  sometimes  accorded  to  true 
worth  or  achievement.  This  man,  a  physician,  Christopher  Witt,  or 
DeWitt,  by  name,  was  born  in  Wiltshire,  England,  in  1675,  and  was 
therefore  nearly  30  years  of  age  when  he  arrived  at  the  tabernacle 
in  the  wilderness.    Of  his  earlier  life  and  achievements  little  or 
