FRITZ A. PANETH (1887Early in 1939 the chemistry department of the University of Durham welcomed a new head. Fritz Paneth was born a t Vienna on August 31, 1887. He entered the University of Munich in 1906, returned to Vienna for his Ph.D. (1910) and continued his training in his native city us assistant s t t h r lnstitut fiir Radium F o r d u n g . In 1913 he went to Great Britain, and worked us Rr~erarch Scholar . ..-. -. . in the lahloratorir* at Glaseow and blanchester. Returning home, he was Privatdozent in-inorganic chemistry from 1915 to 1919; he then transferred from Vienna to the German Technical Institute at Prague, b t later that same ,year went to Hambur in chnrgr of annlyttcill chemnstry. In 1922 he w a r called toncrfin as A~wciateProfessor in inoraanic chemirtrv, and built up so b e a reputation that in 1929 &e was asked to bemme Ordinarius a t RSnigsberg, a rather unusual occurrence are considered in Germany where, usually, organic chemistg worthy of heading departments. In 1933 Ppofessor Pan& emigrated to England, where he became consultant to the Im. perid Chemical Industries, and directed graduate students a t the
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Imperial College. I n 1938 he was appointed Reader in Atomic Chemistry in the University of London, but within several months was appointed t o his present position a t Durham. Fmm his pen and laboratory has come a n impressive stream of cuntril,urio& to the periudicila. The chief siction headin s or his collected papers would he, rudioacti\,ity, adsorption, vobtile hvdrides. meteorites. cornnorition of the stretos~here,and chemi&I detection of artificial'transmutation. H e & also written on the history of chemistry and on the philosophical background of thisscience. I'roicssor Paneth was Baker 1,ectumr at Cornell in 1926, and the mrmanent record of this honor is his 'lRadioelemento as Indicaiors" (1928). Together with George von Heves he issued a "Manual of Radnoactivity" (semnd edition, 19383: H e was elected Foreign Honorary M e m b e ~of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1933, and was chosen Livemidge Lecturer by the Chemical Society (London) in 1936. (Contributed by R. E. Oupcr, UnivcrsifYof Cincinnoli)
