of his students, Bergman and Paulin [71]. This thesis mainly covers Egyptian
alchemy (an “extraordinary rage of converting every thing into gold” [72]) and
Greek philosophy, such as the atomic theory of Democritus. Bergman not only
based much of his account on biblical sources but also made extensive use of
classical authors such as Pliny the elder. Bergman acknowledged that the great
knowledge of practical chemical processes in China had been developed independently of Western science. Bergman wrote that it was very natural that chemistry had evolved via theories which had latter been disproved:
The history of Natural Philosophy must therefore in a great measure consist of errors,
falsehoods, and conjectures: For in all cross ways we seldom arrive at the truth by the
shortest path; nor do we reach it at last but by many circuitous wanderings, and after every
other road has been tried unsuccessfully. [73]
The thesis was followed in 1782 by another historical dissertation, the master
thesis of Pehr von Afzelius, which covers the history of chemistry in the Middle
Ages, from the destruction of the library of Alexandria to the establishment of
scientific societies in the seventeenth century [74]. The main topics discussed are
medicine, metallurgy, glass-making, dying and preparation of mortar followed by a
long discussion on alchemy and transmutation of base metals to gold. Bergman
acknowledged that if the primitive acid of gold (Chap. 15) could be obtained, it
could be reduced to gold by phlogiston. Several historical cases of alleged gold
making were discussed, and Bergman attributed the vast majority to contamination
by gold in materials or equipment.
9.4 Bergman’s Laboratory
Bergman’s first concern was the laboratory. The laboratory and the living quarters
were in very poor conditions and there was hardly any equipment apart from a few
mortars (Fig. 9.9) [62]. On April 30, 1766, a fire had raided Uppsala burning down
a hundred houses. The fire, which spread rapidly due to high winds had burned
down some wooden buildings on the yard, and severely damaged the laboratory
building [70]. Among the other houses destroyed was the home of Bergman’s
friend Rinman, who lost all his books, manuscripts and his mineral collection [75].
Wallerius had been quite successful in raising funds for his institution, but of the
planned two-storey building, only the ground floor had been built. Thus, there was
no room to display the mineral collection that the university had bought from von
Swab in 1751 [76]. Bergman made up ambitious plans for his new institution but
ran almost immediately into problems. In early 1768, it was revealed that the
university accountant, Petter Julinsköld, had embezzled a sum corresponding to
twice the annual budget of the university in order to cover losses he had made on
financial speculations [77]. Meanwhile, Bergman gave his lectures in the Theatrum
Oeconomicum (Fig. 9.10), where he also displayed Swab’s mineral collection [78].
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9 Bergman Becomes a Chemist
alchemy (an “extraordinary rage of converting every thing into gold” [72]) and
Greek philosophy, such as the atomic theory of Democritus. Bergman not only
based much of his account on biblical sources but also made extensive use of
classical authors such as Pliny the elder. Bergman acknowledged that the great
knowledge of practical chemical processes in China had been developed independently of Western science. Bergman wrote that it was very natural that chemistry had evolved via theories which had latter been disproved:
The history of Natural Philosophy must therefore in a great measure consist of errors,
falsehoods, and conjectures: For in all cross ways we seldom arrive at the truth by the
shortest path; nor do we reach it at last but by many circuitous wanderings, and after every
other road has been tried unsuccessfully. [73]
The thesis was followed in 1782 by another historical dissertation, the master
thesis of Pehr von Afzelius, which covers the history of chemistry in the Middle
Ages, from the destruction of the library of Alexandria to the establishment of
scientific societies in the seventeenth century [74]. The main topics discussed are
medicine, metallurgy, glass-making, dying and preparation of mortar followed by a
long discussion on alchemy and transmutation of base metals to gold. Bergman
acknowledged that if the primitive acid of gold (Chap. 15) could be obtained, it
could be reduced to gold by phlogiston. Several historical cases of alleged gold
making were discussed, and Bergman attributed the vast majority to contamination
by gold in materials or equipment.
9.4 Bergman’s Laboratory
Bergman’s first concern was the laboratory. The laboratory and the living quarters
were in very poor conditions and there was hardly any equipment apart from a few
mortars (Fig. 9.9) [62]. On April 30, 1766, a fire had raided Uppsala burning down
a hundred houses. The fire, which spread rapidly due to high winds had burned
down some wooden buildings on the yard, and severely damaged the laboratory
building [70]. Among the other houses destroyed was the home of Bergman’s
friend Rinman, who lost all his books, manuscripts and his mineral collection [75].
Wallerius had been quite successful in raising funds for his institution, but of the
planned two-storey building, only the ground floor had been built. Thus, there was
no room to display the mineral collection that the university had bought from von
Swab in 1751 [76]. Bergman made up ambitious plans for his new institution but
ran almost immediately into problems. In early 1768, it was revealed that the
university accountant, Petter Julinsköld, had embezzled a sum corresponding to
twice the annual budget of the university in order to cover losses he had made on
financial speculations [77]. Meanwhile, Bergman gave his lectures in the Theatrum
Oeconomicum (Fig. 9.10), where he also displayed Swab’s mineral collection [78].
126
9 Bergman Becomes a Chemist