19.4 Scheele’s Stockholm Visit
After moving to Köping, Scheele only left his hometown once, as far as we know,
and he had two reasons for the trip. First of all, as an owner of a pharmacy, he
finally had to take his apothecary exam. While in Stockholm, he had also agreed to
take his seat in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. During the third quarter of
1777, Bergman served as preses (president), a duty that included editing an issue of
the Transactions and to give a lecture at the end of the term. As president, Bergman
persuaded Scheele to finally take his seat in the Academy and deliver his inaugural
lecture on October 29.
3 [12],
The lecture that Scheele delivered was rather unspectacular, and rather than
giving a formal lecture on his views on contemporary chemistry or his role in the
discovery of oxygen, as might have been expected, he simply read a paper
describing a new and more convenient way to prepare mercury(I) chloride, a
common medical ingredient at the time. The reason why Scheele gave this short
lecture might be sought in his personal character. In 1782, Bäck attempted to
persuade Scheele to come to Stockholm to give chemical lectures, but Scheele
declined and told Bäck that he did not enjoy public performance. It could also be
that Scheele did not want to waste his time writing a formal lecture. According to
the diary of the Academy, Scheele held his lecture in German. The inaugural
lectures were occasionally printed, but Scheele’s lecture was published as a regular
paper in the Transactions [13].
Scheele’s lecture was followed by a reply by Bergman, the manuscript of which
remains in the archive of the Academy, and is also quoted (in a slightly corrupted
manner) by Sjöstén [14]. Bergman said:
It is a true pleasure for the Academy to see such a hard working member taking his seat in
its community, and for me, who has the honour of being president at this occasion, it is a
doubled pleasure. I have for several years witnessed your incomparable diligence, your
considerable skill to, by appropriate experiments, extort Nature its secrets and to your sharp
conclusions from the performed experiments. What can then be more natural than that he,
who deeply loves his science, with pleasure watches You take an honourable seat, to which
only skill has paved your way. I may, on the behalf of the Royal Academy and myself, wish
You
4 a lasting health and anything else that may be pleasant, since she [i.e. the Academy] is
certain that pharmacy will win many unexpected pieces of information.
On Tuesday 11th of November, in the morning, Scheele turned up at Collegium
medicum to take his apothecary exam (Fig. 19.5). The examination board consisted of
11 prominent physicians and botanists: Johan Gustaf Hallman (1726–1795), botanist
Anton Rolandsson Martin (1729–1785), Johan Anders af Darelli
5 (1718–1780),
physician Johan Lorentz Odhelius (1737–1816), Christian Ludvig Ramström
(1740–1782), Henrik Sparschuch (1742–1786), physician Carl Ribben (1734–1803),
3
The custom to deliver an inaugural lecture had been less common towards the end of the 18th
century, and was more common in the early history of the Academy.
4
Bergman said “Min Herre” which literally translates to “My Sir”.
5
It was af Darelli (Darelius before his ennoblement) who was the respondent of Wallerius
infamous thesis against Linnaeus (Sect. 9.1).
19.4 Scheele’s Stockholm Visit
261
After moving to Köping, Scheele only left his hometown once, as far as we know,
and he had two reasons for the trip. First of all, as an owner of a pharmacy, he
finally had to take his apothecary exam. While in Stockholm, he had also agreed to
take his seat in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. During the third quarter of
1777, Bergman served as preses (president), a duty that included editing an issue of
the Transactions and to give a lecture at the end of the term. As president, Bergman
persuaded Scheele to finally take his seat in the Academy and deliver his inaugural
lecture on October 29.
3 [12],
The lecture that Scheele delivered was rather unspectacular, and rather than
giving a formal lecture on his views on contemporary chemistry or his role in the
discovery of oxygen, as might have been expected, he simply read a paper
describing a new and more convenient way to prepare mercury(I) chloride, a
common medical ingredient at the time. The reason why Scheele gave this short
lecture might be sought in his personal character. In 1782, Bäck attempted to
persuade Scheele to come to Stockholm to give chemical lectures, but Scheele
declined and told Bäck that he did not enjoy public performance. It could also be
that Scheele did not want to waste his time writing a formal lecture. According to
the diary of the Academy, Scheele held his lecture in German. The inaugural
lectures were occasionally printed, but Scheele’s lecture was published as a regular
paper in the Transactions [13].
Scheele’s lecture was followed by a reply by Bergman, the manuscript of which
remains in the archive of the Academy, and is also quoted (in a slightly corrupted
manner) by Sjöstén [14]. Bergman said:
It is a true pleasure for the Academy to see such a hard working member taking his seat in
its community, and for me, who has the honour of being president at this occasion, it is a
doubled pleasure. I have for several years witnessed your incomparable diligence, your
considerable skill to, by appropriate experiments, extort Nature its secrets and to your sharp
conclusions from the performed experiments. What can then be more natural than that he,
who deeply loves his science, with pleasure watches You take an honourable seat, to which
only skill has paved your way. I may, on the behalf of the Royal Academy and myself, wish
You
4 a lasting health and anything else that may be pleasant, since she [i.e. the Academy] is
certain that pharmacy will win many unexpected pieces of information.
On Tuesday 11th of November, in the morning, Scheele turned up at Collegium
medicum to take his apothecary exam (Fig. 19.5). The examination board consisted of
11 prominent physicians and botanists: Johan Gustaf Hallman (1726–1795), botanist
Anton Rolandsson Martin (1729–1785), Johan Anders af Darelli
5 (1718–1780),
physician Johan Lorentz Odhelius (1737–1816), Christian Ludvig Ramström
(1740–1782), Henrik Sparschuch (1742–1786), physician Carl Ribben (1734–1803),
3
The custom to deliver an inaugural lecture had been less common towards the end of the 18th
century, and was more common in the early history of the Academy.
4
Bergman said “Min Herre” which literally translates to “My Sir”.
5
It was af Darelli (Darelius before his ennoblement) who was the respondent of Wallerius
infamous thesis against Linnaeus (Sect. 9.1).
19.4 Scheele’s Stockholm Visit
261