edited by
J. DUDLEY HERRON Purdue University wesf Laf.yene, Indiana 47907
Anecdotes for Fun In the March. 1975 issue of High School Forum. Clair Wood suggested that we enliven chemistry through the use of historical anecdotes. Several readers have written to share their own favorite stories, not all guaranteed for historical accuracy but likely to add life to a dull lecture.
The King's Companions-A Chromatographical Allegory
moving river and stationary poles separated all the applicants from one another according to their strength. So the king found his ten strongest subjects, and hrought them to his palace to he his com~anionsand orotectors. And he rewarded them all with wealth. B& the man who received the greatest reward was his advisor, Chromos. (For thosewho are willing to stretch t h e t r u t h a little in order to fix the word "chromatography" more firmly in young, or for that matter older minds, it is useful to add that this separation technique was caI1ed "chromatography" after its inventor, Chromos.)
A r t h u r N. Stein Carmel College Mangewell Park, Wallingford United Kingdom A ereat and powerful kina once ruled a distant land. One day. he decide(jhe wanted tofind the ten strongest men in his kinrdom. They would he his sponina cmnpanims and would him. In return, the king would give them alsohelp to splendid chambers in his palace and great riches. But how would these ten men he found? For surely thousands from his vast lands would seek this promise of wealth and power. From amongst these thousands, how would he find the ten very strongest? The king consulted his advisors. One suggested a great wrestling tournament. But that would he much too timeconsuming and complicated. A weight-lifting contest was also rejected. Finally, an obscure advisor named Chromos described a plan which pleased the king. "Your majesty," said Chromos, "you have in your land a miehtv river. Use it for a special contest. At intervals along the river, have your engineers erect poles. The ends of eachbole should be anchored on opposite hanks so that each pole strt,tches across the river. The polc musr he just highenuugh a h v e the surface of t he rker iur H man heing carried along hv the current to reach up and grab hold of it. So strong isthe current that he will not be ahle to pull himself out, but will just be able to hold on until, his strength sapped, the pole will be torn from his grasp. He will he carried downstream until he reaches the next pole which he will also grab hold of. Of course, the weakest man will he ahle to hold on to each pole for the shortest length of time, and will he carried downstream fastest. The strongest man will hold on the longest, and will he carried alone most slowlv . bv" the river. You have onlv to throw the applicants into the river at one particular place and measure how lone it takes each man to eet to the finish line downstream (where he will he pulled out). ;\s long as you have enough poles soaced out between the start and finish, the men will all be &ded exactly ucconl~ngto thrir i t renk*h. The strongest will be those who take the longest rime 10 reach the finish line." Sosimple 3nd degant did this method sound, rhar the king decided ro rrv it. A ~roelamatiunpramising great w a l t h and power to thiten strongest men bas spreadthroughout the kingdom. Men came to the river from far and wide to participate in the contest Chromos had devised. And the contest was indeed successful. Simply and quickly, the combination of 646 / Journal of Chemical Education
Some Iron Anecdotes E. W. Ainscough a n d A. M. Brodie Massey University Palmerston North, New Zealand When one is introducing the bioinorganic chemistry of iron the following anecdote can be used to illustrate one of the earliest applications of iron therapy. In 1500 B.C. legend has it that Prince Iphyclus of Thesally, was cured of his sexual impotence by \Ielampus, a physician and seer.'.: \lelampus removed a knife from an oak tree wherr it had heen s t ~ ~ hy ck Ir~hvclu.;'l'arher.scriived the rust from the blade into wineand administered the be;erage to iphyclus. After ten days of this treatment Iohvclus reeained his fertilitv. One could aiso reczl the role of iron-in the treatment of chlorosis, a maladv characterized bv general weakness. pains i n the chest and 3hortness 01 l)ren
