4
Bergman’s and Scheele’s Education
The educations of the two chemists Bergman and Scheele were very different: while
Bergman had a formal university education, Scheele was accepted as an apprentice
in a pharmacy.
4.1 Bergman’s Education in Uppsala
In the fall of 1752, Bergman, aged 17, arrived at Uppsala University (Fig. 4.1) [1].
Here, he was supposed to study philosophy and language, subjects needed for a
career as a civil servant. However, Bergman’s interests were already completely
devoted to science and mathematics. Bergman used the following words to
described the delight of scientific investigation in a memorial lecture over entomologist de Geer: “Let us consider our own natural instinct. Is it not like this, that
we like changes in our pleasures? Do we not, with surprise, delight and rapture
view what is unusual and different from what we are familiar to?” [2] A cousin of
Bergman, Jonas Victorin, latter vicar in Fägred, east of Mariestad, was living next
door to Bergman and was ordered by the family to keep an eye on Torbern and his
studies [3]. He repeatedly tried to convince Bergman that the future prospects for a
mathematician or a scientist were not very promising, and Bergman could not find
any convincing arguments [1]. Thus, Bergman put a small bookshelf under his table
and covered the table with a large table cloth. When his cousin came for inspection,
there were only philosophical books on the table; all scientific works were properly
hidden under the table. Bergman claims that he rarely visited lectures, but spent
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Lennartson, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Torbern Bergman, Perspectives on the
History of Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49194-9_4
45
Bergman’s and Scheele’s Education
The educations of the two chemists Bergman and Scheele were very different: while
Bergman had a formal university education, Scheele was accepted as an apprentice
in a pharmacy.
4.1 Bergman’s Education in Uppsala
In the fall of 1752, Bergman, aged 17, arrived at Uppsala University (Fig. 4.1) [1].
Here, he was supposed to study philosophy and language, subjects needed for a
career as a civil servant. However, Bergman’s interests were already completely
devoted to science and mathematics. Bergman used the following words to
described the delight of scientific investigation in a memorial lecture over entomologist de Geer: “Let us consider our own natural instinct. Is it not like this, that
we like changes in our pleasures? Do we not, with surprise, delight and rapture
view what is unusual and different from what we are familiar to?” [2] A cousin of
Bergman, Jonas Victorin, latter vicar in Fägred, east of Mariestad, was living next
door to Bergman and was ordered by the family to keep an eye on Torbern and his
studies [3]. He repeatedly tried to convince Bergman that the future prospects for a
mathematician or a scientist were not very promising, and Bergman could not find
any convincing arguments [1]. Thus, Bergman put a small bookshelf under his table
and covered the table with a large table cloth. When his cousin came for inspection,
there were only philosophical books on the table; all scientific works were properly
hidden under the table. Bergman claims that he rarely visited lectures, but spent
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Lennartson, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Torbern Bergman, Perspectives on the
History of Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49194-9_4
45