Am   Tour.  Pharra.  )  Book   Reviews.  ?2q 
May,  1919.       •*  O^O 
ence  of  the  American  Republic.  Even  in  those  early  times,  Phila- 
delphia appears,  as  later,  to  have  been  the  center  of  scientific  learn- 
ing in  the  western  hemisphere,  and  the  early  chemists  of  the  City 
of  Brotherly  Love  were  renowned  as  leading  and  influential  citizens 
who  made  their  impress  upon  scientific  progress  as  well  as  upon  the 
political  events  of  the  time. 
To  a  Philadelphia!!,  Dr.  de  Normandie,  is  ascribed  the  honor  of 
having  written  the  first  chemical  paper  to  appear  in  print  in  this 
country.  In  1769,  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  instituted  the 
first  chair  of  chemistry  in  America  and  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  was 
the  first  professor  of  chemistry  in  this  country. 
The  individual  contributions  of  the  early  Philadelphia  chemists  in 
behalf  of  their  chosen  science  is  necessarily  presented  in  rather  a 
cursory  manner.  A  brief  recapitulation,  such  as  is  permissible  as 
within  the  scope  of  a  review,  may  not  be  amiss. 
Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  a  leader  in  medicine.  His  greatest  service 
possibly  was  in  directing  the  attention  of  medical  students  to  the 
value  of  cognate  chemical  studies. 
Dr.  Joseph  Priestly,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1794  and 
thereafter  established  a  permanent  residence  in  Pennsylvania  and 
whose  influence  in  stimulating  the  study  of  chemistry  at  this  time 
was  paramount,  encouraged  a  number  of  the  Philadelphia  scientific 
circle  to  apply  themselves  to  experiment  and  chemical  studies. 
Thomas  P.  Smith,  whose  early  contributions  were  full  of  promise 
and  whose  lifework  was  prematurely  cut  off  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years. 
James  Woodhouse,  who  aided  materially  by  his  writings  in  the 
overthrow  of  the  old  doctrine  of  phlogiston  and  whose  experimental 
work  did  much  to  establish  true  ideas  concerning  combustion, 
respiration  and  oxidation.  His  studies  added  much  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  chemistry  of  plants.  He  also  analyzed  many  minerals 
and  it  is  stated  first  isolated  the  metal  potassium. 
Adam  Seybert,  renowned  as  a  chemist  and  as  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  air  analysis  and  he, 
likewise,  laid  the  foundation  for  physological  chemistry.  In  his 
later  life  he  devoted  his  attention  very  largely  to  mineralogy. 
His  son,  Henry  Seybert  also  took  up  the  study  of  minerals, 
"  earnestly  proceeded  in  his  father's  footsteps  "  for  some  years,  until 
philanthropy,  religiously  observed,  became  almost  his  sole  absorbing 
task. 
