correct, in that no alum was required but that the reaction required potassium (fixed
alkali).
Scheele’s last documented chemical studies concerned the decomposition of
nitric acid by sunlight [34]. When, in February 1786, Wilcke asked whether these
experiments could be published, Scheele responded that he would repeat a few
experiments the following summer, probably due to lack of sunshine in the winter
[35]. Scheele would not live long enough, but a preliminary account was published
by Crell [36].
On May 12, 1786, Scheele wrote to his old friend physician Abraham Bäck in
Stockholm to ask for help, but it was too late. The letter, where Scheele describes
his symptoms and the medication he had taken, is quite moving. A week later,
Scheele had apparently realised that the end was close, since he married Margaretha
Pohl in order to restore the ownership of the pharmacy to her. She was now aged 35
and had worked for Scheele during his years in Köping. Scheele passed away at
11:30 am on May 21, 1786, aged 43, with his friend Vicar Carl Johan Ahlström
(1728–1790) by his side.
A few hours after Scheele’s death, physician Birger Martin Hall (1741–1815),
another former student of Linnaeus, arrived. He performed an autopsy [37], the
results of which have not been preserved. Scheele himself described his condition
as gout, while the official records state the cause of death as tuberculosis. In the
1930s, medical historian Birger Strandell studied Scheele’s symptoms and concluded that he most likely suffered from rheumatic polyarthritis [38]. A common
complication is different types of heart problems affecting the blood circulation to
the lungs causing increased mucus production and coughing. The probable cause of
death was heart failure. Scheele’s widow, however, was convinced that it was
exposure to chemicals that caused the death of both Scheele and Bergman: “Sure he
experimented, through which he took his death, like Professor Bergman” [31].
Several biographies over Scheele have also suggested that Scheele’s death was
caused by his experiments but that seems not to be the case.
Scheele had no children, and there are thus no direct descendants of Scheele,
although German chemist and spy Walter T. Scheele, who was arrested in the
United States in 1916, claimed to be so [39].
28.6 Scheele’s Funeral
The funeral of Scheele was held in the church of Köping on May 28, 1786. His
widow assured Wilcke in a letter that it was the most honourable funeral held in the
city, and that it had cost quite a bit of money [40]. The service was held by the vicar
of Köping, Carl Johan Ahlström, who was a personal friend of Scheele. Ahlström
28.5 Scheele’s Illness and Death
381
alkali).
Scheele’s last documented chemical studies concerned the decomposition of
nitric acid by sunlight [34]. When, in February 1786, Wilcke asked whether these
experiments could be published, Scheele responded that he would repeat a few
experiments the following summer, probably due to lack of sunshine in the winter
[35]. Scheele would not live long enough, but a preliminary account was published
by Crell [36].
On May 12, 1786, Scheele wrote to his old friend physician Abraham Bäck in
Stockholm to ask for help, but it was too late. The letter, where Scheele describes
his symptoms and the medication he had taken, is quite moving. A week later,
Scheele had apparently realised that the end was close, since he married Margaretha
Pohl in order to restore the ownership of the pharmacy to her. She was now aged 35
and had worked for Scheele during his years in Köping. Scheele passed away at
11:30 am on May 21, 1786, aged 43, with his friend Vicar Carl Johan Ahlström
(1728–1790) by his side.
A few hours after Scheele’s death, physician Birger Martin Hall (1741–1815),
another former student of Linnaeus, arrived. He performed an autopsy [37], the
results of which have not been preserved. Scheele himself described his condition
as gout, while the official records state the cause of death as tuberculosis. In the
1930s, medical historian Birger Strandell studied Scheele’s symptoms and concluded that he most likely suffered from rheumatic polyarthritis [38]. A common
complication is different types of heart problems affecting the blood circulation to
the lungs causing increased mucus production and coughing. The probable cause of
death was heart failure. Scheele’s widow, however, was convinced that it was
exposure to chemicals that caused the death of both Scheele and Bergman: “Sure he
experimented, through which he took his death, like Professor Bergman” [31].
Several biographies over Scheele have also suggested that Scheele’s death was
caused by his experiments but that seems not to be the case.
Scheele had no children, and there are thus no direct descendants of Scheele,
although German chemist and spy Walter T. Scheele, who was arrested in the
United States in 1916, claimed to be so [39].
28.6 Scheele’s Funeral
The funeral of Scheele was held in the church of Köping on May 28, 1786. His
widow assured Wilcke in a letter that it was the most honourable funeral held in the
city, and that it had cost quite a bit of money [40]. The service was held by the vicar
of Köping, Carl Johan Ahlström, who was a personal friend of Scheele. Ahlström
28.5 Scheele’s Illness and Death
381