A Modern Visit to Liebig's Laboratory' CHARLES J. BRAND The National Fertilizer Association, Washington, D. C. IESSEN, the chief city of upper Hesse, is lo- ihermore, the funds available were so small as almost to cated in the fertile valley of the river Lahu, thirty- forbid providing a suitable laboratory. Liebig was filled with ideas about the paramount four miles north of Frankfort-am-Main. It is about the size of Ann Arbor, but its State University importance of the laboratory as a teaching facility. (Landesuniversitaet) founded in 1607 is very much It is worth remembering that his fostering of the labosmaller than the University of Michigan, having less ratory method'of teaching played an important part in than 2000 students in residence. The small size of the establishing teaching laboratories in chemistry throughUniversity is due in part to the fact that there are four out the world. Liebig is as distinguished for his seruniversities, beginning with Heidelberg (1386) on the vices to education as for his work in the furtherance south, Frankfort (1914), Giessen (1607), and Marburg of pure and applied science. When, a t the conclusion of his studies a t Bonn and Eilangen, he had taken (1527), in a distance of 104 miles.' I t was to this town and to this univepsity that Justus his doctor's degree, he found in all Europe only two Liebig came in 1824 a t the age of 21 as professor extra- chemistry departments that seemed to him supplied ordinarius in the faculty of philosophy, to do teaching with the facilities for study and research that he sought. They were those of Gay-Lussac in Paris, and of Berzeland research work in chemistry. Collegiate intramural administrative problems ex- ius in Stockholm. In 1822, a t the age of nineteen, Liebig betook himisted in educational institutions then as they do now. The Grand Duke of Hesse had named Liebig on Alex- self to Paris where he had the good fortune to meet von ander von Humboldt's recommendation without the Huinboldt for the first time. Humboldt was so atusual submittal to an examination by the faculty. In tracted to him that he became his sponsor and induced consequence, Liebig was not made as welcome as be Gay-Lussac to accept him as an advanced student. The uphill row Liebig had to hoe a t Giessen after otherwise would have been. The trouble was due chiefly to the f a d s that there was already a professor his appointment on May 26, 1824, because the chemical ordinarius (Dr. W. L. Zimmerman) on the faculty; department already had a head, is indicated by the f a d that the facilities for scientific research in chemistry that it was not until November 7 that a lecture room were very meager, and that, with the teachingfunctions, became available to him. Twelve students began they had already been assigned to Zimmerman. Fur- their work with him on that day. It is an interesting sidelight on the students of the Presented as part of the Liebig Symposium before the Divi- time, their nationwide conduct culminating in 1848 in sions of Fertilizer Chemistry, Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the Student's Rebellion, that they were in constant and History of Chemistry at the one-hundredth meetmg of the turmoil with the local military garrison. Finally, to A. C S., Detroit, Michigan, September 10, 1940.
G
end the constant disorders, the government moved the troops to Worms, thus releasing their barracks, which were assigned to the University. One of the old guardrooms in the second story of what is now the Liebig Museum Building was Liebig's first lecture hall. In 1826 matters changed considerably. Professor
lowances which were a great help to him, for he had long been paying the operating deficit of his department out of his own pocket. To return again to his laboratory, its size was increased for the last time in 1839 a t a cost of 12,000 gulden. This gave the Institute of Chemistry twice its
LIEBIG'S LECTURE ROOMAT GIESSEN Note opening (behind lecture table) leading into the main laboratory
Zimmerman died suddenly, and the first-floor rooms of the old guardhouse were assigned to Liebig for his laboratory and lecture auditorium, and he was given permission to convert the old lecture room in the second story into a living room. From 1826 until 1832, Liebig got along with three rooms; one he used for his laboratory, another for his lecture auditorium, and the third for his living room. In the latter year, he obtainea permission to convert a woodshed behind the laboratoryrinto an additional laboratory, and the old auditorium into a heated balance room and a private laboratory. It was not until September, 1835, that the changes were made which he had requested and had been promised in 1833. A few comments on the salaries of scientific workers in that far-off day will be of interest. When Liebig was appointed in 1824, his salary was 300 gulden, about $105.00 yearly. When, after Zimmerman's death in 1826, he was appointed regular professor, his pay was 800 gulden. He continued to receive the same rate of pay until 1835, when he was given an assistant. This was practically an increase in pay, as up to that time he had been compelled to pay his assistant out of his own pocket. In 1837, his salary was raised to 1650 gulden, because the University of St. Petersburg sent him an urgent invitation to join its faculty. In 1841, he was given a further raise to 3200 gulden when the University of Vienna invited him to its Chair of Chemistry. In addition, von Liebig was given some additional al-
previous floor space. The facilities now included a good-sized auditorium, a . large adjacent working laboratory, a small lecture ioom for the beginners, a balance robm, and a room for the library and the air pump. This was the period during which students from all parts of the world streamed into Giessen to do advanced work in agricultural and physiological chemistry. The auditorium was altogether too small; it had 60 seats and there were never less than about 120 taking the lectures. Those who sat in the front of the room had to occupy benches and other improvised seats and put their ink pots on the experimental table. In 1852 Justns von Liebig, now a baron, a chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and a holder of many other titles of distinction, accepted the invitation to go to the University of Munich, and his private assistant, Heinrich Will (1812-82), was named ordinary professor of chemistry a t Giessen, chief of the laboratories, and Liebig's successor. Prior to Liebig's time, practical teaching in the chemical laboratory existed nowhere. He had to develop his own methods of teaching and demonstrating and spent an almost endless amount of time in devising methods of interesting his pupils and spurring their zeal, using practical experiments, recitations, and examinations. Thus Liebig founded the first school of chemistry, and the modest laboratory that he opened in 1824 was the forerunner of great chemical institutes
that now exist in all important universities. He himself in his brief autobiography said: "We worked from break of day to the sinking night. Diverrims and amusements there were none in Giessen. The only complaints, and they were heard again and again, were those of the janitor (Aubel) who, at night when it was time to clean up the laboratories, found it impossible to get thc workers to clear out SO that he could do his duty."
those of his contemporaries, together with an interesting collection of books and pictures. The curator of the museum, a woman, obligingly shows strangers through the various laboratories and other rooms and tells the,, as best she can about ~ i big's work as teacher, research worker, writer, and international figure. She may mention his work on explosives, beet sugar, phosphoric acid, potash, nitro-
It was my privilege, in July, 1937, while attending the National Congress of German themists on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Union of German Chemists at Frankfort, to visit Liebig's old laboratory. It is kept up by a foundation, supported by a small endowment and free-will gifts, which was organized in 1910, when a smali group of scientific and technical workers determined to preserve this renowned laboratory. In due time efforts were instituted to put the building in proper repair and to begin the collection of old pieces of apparatus, utensils, and other items which had been scattered to the winds. The efforts were successful; condensers, absorption apparatus, air pumps, ovens, old-fashioned retorts, and many other interesting objects have been collected and put in place. The visitor will find in the Museum building the oldest of the laboratories with its adjacent rooms; von Liebig's private laborato~yand its work room; the large analytical laboratory with its lecture hall, the pharmaceutical laboratory, and a collection of plastics, documents, writings in von Liebig's own hand, and in
gm, fermentation, meat extracts, and many other subjects. Usually, I think, emphasis is laid on the fact that first of all Liebig was a great teacher who, in this particular old laboratory building, laid the foundation of our present laboratory method of instruction and of modern research in organic chemistry. The memorial laboratory-building with the words, "In memory of Liebig," above its fayade, has a somewhat classic front with a side entrance. I t is kept in an excellent state of repair. In the public park near by there is a fine marble statue that has been erected in Liebig's honor. To one interested in all phases of agriculture and agricultural chemistry, the visit to Giessen is an inspiration, and reminds one that perhaps Liebig's greatest service to humanity was to teach all who came under his instruction the necessity for distinguishing opinions from facts. In this day of world-wide turmoil and war, we could well go back to much of von Liebig's philosophy and teaching.
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