240  Obituary.  {^""Afes^o'™ 
Reponse  d  une  note  de  M.  le  Dr.  Phipson,  i?2tituice  :  On  the  Nascent  state  of  Bodies. 
Par  le  Dr.  D.  Tommasi. 
A  reprint  from  "  Revue  Hebdomadaire  des  Sciences." 
OBITUARY. 
Heinrich  August-  Ludwig  Wiggers,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Pharmacy  at  the 
university  of  Gottingen,  died  in  that  city  February  23d,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year 
ot  his  age.  Wiggers  was  born  in  the  village  of  Altenhagen,  June  12th,  1803,  w^here 
his  father  labored  as  minister  He  served  his  apprenticeship  in  pharmacy  from  181 7 
to  1822,  and  in  1827  went  to  the  university  of  Gottingen  to  complete  his  studies. 
In  the  following  year  Professor  Stromeyer^induced  him  to  accept  the  position  of 
assistant  at  the  chemical  laboratory,  in  which  capacity  he  labored,  since  1835  under 
Professor  Wohler,  until  1850.  In  1835  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.,  and  in 
1S37  he  became  private  lecturer  on  pharmacognosy,  and  in  1846  also  on  pharmacy. 
In  1848  he  was  promoted  extraordinary  professor,  and  in  1850  inspector-general  of 
the  pharmacies  of  Hannover  in  place  of  Professor  Wohler,  whom  and  his  predecessor 
Stromeyer  he  had  assisted  in  these  duties  since  1828.  He  resigned  his  inspectorship 
in  Hannover  in  1868,  but  continued  to  act  in  the  same  capacity  in  the  county  of 
Lippe  until  disabled  by  sickness.  In  1864  he  received  the  title  of  medical  councillor 
and  in  1870  a  fund  was  created  by  the  pharmacists  of  the  province  of  Hannover, 
which  is  known  as  the  Wiggers  fund,  and  used  for  aiding  deserving  pharmaceutical 
students  at  the  university  of  Gottingen.  Early  in  1879  he  had  a  severe  attack  of 
pleurisy,  which  developed  into  dropsy  of  the  chest,  the  immediate  cause  of  his  death. 
Wiggers  made  a  number  of  important  chemical  investigations,  chiefly  during  the 
earlier  period  of  his  connection  with  the  university  of  Gottingen.  His  researches  on 
ergot,  pareira  brava  and  quassia  are  perhaps  those  best  known  in  America.  Of  still 
greater  importance  are  the  literary  labors  of  Wiggers,  which  commenced  with  the 
translation  from  the  Swedish  into  the  German  language  of  the  last  sixteen  annual 
reports  on  chemistry,  commenced  by  Berzelius  and  continued  by  Svanberg,  and  of 
Berzelius'  Handbook  of  Chemistry  in  ten  volumes  ;  these  translations  were  made  under 
the  supervision  of  Professor  Wohler.  In  1844  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
celebrated  annual  report  on  the  progress  of  pharmacognosy  and  phirmacy  in  all 
countries,  in  which  he  also  embodied  his  own  observations.  This  report  was  at  first 
issued  as  a  part  of  Cannstatt's  Annual  Report  on  Medicine  j  but  since  1866  is 
published  as  an  independent  work,  edited  since  1874  by  Professor  Dragendorff. 
As  teacher  of  pharmacognosy,  he  was  indefatigable  in  improving  the  material  for 
instruction,  and  acquired  a  collection  of  drugs  which  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
complete  ones  in  Europe  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  state  for  the  use  of  the 
university,  and  was  used  by  him  in  writing  the  descriptions  for  his  "Grundriss  der 
Pharmacognosies  (Outlines  of  Pharmacognosy),  of  which  several  editions  have  been 
published. 
Modest  and  kind  in  disposition,  industrious  and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  he  was  respected  and  beloved  by  his  pupils,  and  secured  the  esteem  of  the 
intelligent  pharmacists  of  all  countries.  By  his  death  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association  and  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  lost  one  of  their  most  favor- 
ably known  honorary  members. 
