died in 1804. Apart from the two dissertations, he published a paper on arsenic
poisoning in 1800: [34] a 25-year-old maid in Falun had the habit of eating
left-overs in the kitchen, and accidentally drank from a bottle of fly poison believing
it to be mead. After treatment with potassium polysulphide (liver of sulphur) by
Swedelius, the maid survived.
11.4.3 Carl Anders Plomgren
Carl Anders Plomgren [35] was one of Bergman’s more extraordinary students. He
was born in 1750 in Uppsala as son of merchant Anders Plomgren (1700–1766). He
enrolled at Uppsala University in 1767 and in 1769 he was appointed auscultator at
the Board of Mines. He had specialised in mining, and just like Bergman’s students
Gahn and Hjelm, he defended a thesis in law for Pehr Niclas Christiernin (1725–
1799) [36]. The defence took place on December 13, 1769, and only 3 days later he
defended his graduation thesis on fulminating gold, de calce auri fulminante, with
Bergman as supervisor. This was the thesis that Wallerius attacked in Lärda Tidningar (Sect. 9.6). His career was initially impressive. He was ennobled in 1770
and took the name Plommenfelt. In 1772–1776 he travelled through Europe, where
he made important contacts. He met, for example, Voltaire in Geneva. Plommenfelt
developed a deep interest in occultism and became a free mason. This was an
interest that he shared with Duke Charles (Hertig Karl), the younger brother of King
Gustav III, and he became an important figure in the Royal Court. At his estate
Huvudsta, he equipped a laboratory for “higher science”, which impressed on the
Duke, and he also held séances. In 1779, however, his career met some obstacles.
The business house of Plomgren went bankrupt and Plommenfelt became involved
in an infected legal case. The following year, it turned out that he did not have the
connections to European free masons that he had claimed, and he found himself
kicked out of the court. He started to live a bad life and when he, in 1782, wrote that
the King was a deceiver on a pub window, he was sentenced to death and his
nobility was withdrawn. He managed to flee to North America (possibly after
receiving a hint from the King) and was last heard from in 1785. His crossed over
coat of arms, the only of its kind, can still be seen in the House of Nobility in
Stockholm.
11.4.4 Pehr Dubb
Pehr Dubb [37] (Fig. 11.4) was born on January 14, 1750 in Mariestad, Bergman’s
home town. He went to school in Skara, just like Bergman, before he came to
Uppsala in 1768. Dubb studied under Linnaeus and Bergman, and defended his
thesis on the water of Uppsala, Chemical Investigation of the Spring Water in and
Nearest Around Uppsala (Sect. 17.3) in 1770. He practised as a physician at Sätra
spa when merchant Claes Alströmer (1736–1794; son of Jonas Alströmer and
brother of Patrik Alströmer) asked Bergman if he could suggest a private physician
11.4 Bergman’s Students
173
poisoning in 1800: [34] a 25-year-old maid in Falun had the habit of eating
left-overs in the kitchen, and accidentally drank from a bottle of fly poison believing
it to be mead. After treatment with potassium polysulphide (liver of sulphur) by
Swedelius, the maid survived.
11.4.3 Carl Anders Plomgren
Carl Anders Plomgren [35] was one of Bergman’s more extraordinary students. He
was born in 1750 in Uppsala as son of merchant Anders Plomgren (1700–1766). He
enrolled at Uppsala University in 1767 and in 1769 he was appointed auscultator at
the Board of Mines. He had specialised in mining, and just like Bergman’s students
Gahn and Hjelm, he defended a thesis in law for Pehr Niclas Christiernin (1725–
1799) [36]. The defence took place on December 13, 1769, and only 3 days later he
defended his graduation thesis on fulminating gold, de calce auri fulminante, with
Bergman as supervisor. This was the thesis that Wallerius attacked in Lärda Tidningar (Sect. 9.6). His career was initially impressive. He was ennobled in 1770
and took the name Plommenfelt. In 1772–1776 he travelled through Europe, where
he made important contacts. He met, for example, Voltaire in Geneva. Plommenfelt
developed a deep interest in occultism and became a free mason. This was an
interest that he shared with Duke Charles (Hertig Karl), the younger brother of King
Gustav III, and he became an important figure in the Royal Court. At his estate
Huvudsta, he equipped a laboratory for “higher science”, which impressed on the
Duke, and he also held séances. In 1779, however, his career met some obstacles.
The business house of Plomgren went bankrupt and Plommenfelt became involved
in an infected legal case. The following year, it turned out that he did not have the
connections to European free masons that he had claimed, and he found himself
kicked out of the court. He started to live a bad life and when he, in 1782, wrote that
the King was a deceiver on a pub window, he was sentenced to death and his
nobility was withdrawn. He managed to flee to North America (possibly after
receiving a hint from the King) and was last heard from in 1785. His crossed over
coat of arms, the only of its kind, can still be seen in the House of Nobility in
Stockholm.
11.4.4 Pehr Dubb
Pehr Dubb [37] (Fig. 11.4) was born on January 14, 1750 in Mariestad, Bergman’s
home town. He went to school in Skara, just like Bergman, before he came to
Uppsala in 1768. Dubb studied under Linnaeus and Bergman, and defended his
thesis on the water of Uppsala, Chemical Investigation of the Spring Water in and
Nearest Around Uppsala (Sect. 17.3) in 1770. He practised as a physician at Sätra
spa when merchant Claes Alströmer (1736–1794; son of Jonas Alströmer and
brother of Patrik Alströmer) asked Bergman if he could suggest a private physician
11.4 Bergman’s Students
173