attended. According to a letter to Gahn in July, Scheele appears to have declined,
and from a letter to Bergman, it seems most likely that Scheele planned to return to
Uppsala.
In Köping, the public opinion was clearly in Scheele’s favour. The burghers of
Köping had declared that they wanted no other apothecary in Köping than Scheele,
and had written a letter to the county governor (landshövding), who in turn contacted Collegium medicum. The Collegium agreed that Scheele was more qualified
than Ekelin, but had no authority to intervene, and asked the governor to make an
arrangement with the widow. Scheele mentions this in his letter to Gahn of June 20.
Several biographies states that Collegium medicum granted Scheele the rights to
open a competing pharmacy in Köping [4, 5]. This sound very unlikely, and Fredga
found no evidence for such plans in the archives [6]. These rumours may originate
in a misunderstanding based on letters from Scheele to Bergman and Gahn written
in May 1776, where he wrote that the burghers had asked him to open a new
pharmacy. At any rate, the contract between Pohl and Ekelin was cancelled that
summer; on August 30, Scheele wrote to Gahn that Ekelin had withdrawn his offer
after intervention by the county governor. Ekelin returned to Landskrona where he
remained until 1777, where after he disappeared into the mists of time.
On October 18, 1776, Scheele bought the pharmacy for 1,333 riksdaler and 16
Shilling; this is noted in the city minutes of November 4, 1776. Scheele must have
borrowed the money from his friends, but apparently, he must quite soon have been
able to pay the money back. Scheele also agreed to support Mrs Pohl, her infant
son, Emanuel (1775–1789), and to pay the pharmacy’s remaining debts.
19.2 Scheele’s Life in Köping
Köping was a small town with around 1,300 citizens, its main importance was as a
harbour for shipping iron from the Bergslagen mining district to Stockholm. A fire
in 1889 destroyed most of the city, and little of today’s Köping resembles the city
where Scheele lived. Preserved letters from his brothers and drafts of letters to his
brothers, give us some information about Scheele’s life in Köping.
Back at home in Stralsund, Scheele’s father passed away in 1776 (very little is
known about his mother, but according to a letter from his brother Friedrich
Christoph, she was still in good health in 1783; she would survive her famous son
by two years). Friedrich Christoph took over his father’s business, but also had to
support his two unmarried sisters and his mother. He ran into economic problems,
and had to give up the business, but could resume it in 1778. To help his brother,
Scheele agreed to take care of his youngest sister, Maria Juliana. She arrived in
Köping in early 1779, and it was the first time Scheele met any of his relatives since
a visit in Stralsund ten years earlier. Unfortunately, she appeared to have fallen ill
during her trip, she suffered from cough and tiredness. She died at an age of 32 after
16 months in Sweden, on May 19, 1780, at 8 p.m., most probably from tuberculosis. Scheele assured his brother that he had provided the best care available.
256
19 Scheele in Köping
and from a letter to Bergman, it seems most likely that Scheele planned to return to
Uppsala.
In Köping, the public opinion was clearly in Scheele’s favour. The burghers of
Köping had declared that they wanted no other apothecary in Köping than Scheele,
and had written a letter to the county governor (landshövding), who in turn contacted Collegium medicum. The Collegium agreed that Scheele was more qualified
than Ekelin, but had no authority to intervene, and asked the governor to make an
arrangement with the widow. Scheele mentions this in his letter to Gahn of June 20.
Several biographies states that Collegium medicum granted Scheele the rights to
open a competing pharmacy in Köping [4, 5]. This sound very unlikely, and Fredga
found no evidence for such plans in the archives [6]. These rumours may originate
in a misunderstanding based on letters from Scheele to Bergman and Gahn written
in May 1776, where he wrote that the burghers had asked him to open a new
pharmacy. At any rate, the contract between Pohl and Ekelin was cancelled that
summer; on August 30, Scheele wrote to Gahn that Ekelin had withdrawn his offer
after intervention by the county governor. Ekelin returned to Landskrona where he
remained until 1777, where after he disappeared into the mists of time.
On October 18, 1776, Scheele bought the pharmacy for 1,333 riksdaler and 16
Shilling; this is noted in the city minutes of November 4, 1776. Scheele must have
borrowed the money from his friends, but apparently, he must quite soon have been
able to pay the money back. Scheele also agreed to support Mrs Pohl, her infant
son, Emanuel (1775–1789), and to pay the pharmacy’s remaining debts.
19.2 Scheele’s Life in Köping
Köping was a small town with around 1,300 citizens, its main importance was as a
harbour for shipping iron from the Bergslagen mining district to Stockholm. A fire
in 1889 destroyed most of the city, and little of today’s Köping resembles the city
where Scheele lived. Preserved letters from his brothers and drafts of letters to his
brothers, give us some information about Scheele’s life in Köping.
Back at home in Stralsund, Scheele’s father passed away in 1776 (very little is
known about his mother, but according to a letter from his brother Friedrich
Christoph, she was still in good health in 1783; she would survive her famous son
by two years). Friedrich Christoph took over his father’s business, but also had to
support his two unmarried sisters and his mother. He ran into economic problems,
and had to give up the business, but could resume it in 1778. To help his brother,
Scheele agreed to take care of his youngest sister, Maria Juliana. She arrived in
Köping in early 1779, and it was the first time Scheele met any of his relatives since
a visit in Stralsund ten years earlier. Unfortunately, she appeared to have fallen ill
during her trip, she suffered from cough and tiredness. She died at an age of 32 after
16 months in Sweden, on May 19, 1780, at 8 p.m., most probably from tuberculosis. Scheele assured his brother that he had provided the best care available.
256
19 Scheele in Köping