time, thus assuring rapid publication of new results. The printing of some of
Bergman’s publications in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Science in
Uppsala, such as the paper on classification of larvae (Sect. 5.3) and his last paper
on classification of minerals (Sect. 25.8) were delayed by several years. The high
publication rate of the Stockholm Academy was partly due to the fact that the
president of the Academy was elected for a three-month period, and his main task
was to deliver an issue of the Transactions by the end of his term. In order to reach
a broader audience and not only the professors in Uppsala, the Transactions were
published in Swedish, although some professors would still have preferred Latin in
order to more easily attract an international audience. The Transactions were
translated to German, but with a few years delay. Some of Scheele’s and Bergman’s
papers were, however, published in German translation in Crell’s Chemische
Annalen. It was Wilcke who provided Crell with translations, at least in 1784 [3].
The choice of typeface for the journal resulted in considerable debate. von
Höpken advocated the old-fashioned black letter typeface,
3 which was used until
1743, when a switch was made to a modern Roman typeface [4]. Manuscripts were
submitted by both members of the Academy and by the public. Manuscripts that
appeared to meet the standard were read in the Academy and then sent to referees
[5]. The accepted manuscripts were finally edited by the secretary and longer
essays, such as Scheele’s paper on manganese (Sect. 15.1), were frequently divided
in parts. The contents of the Transactions were very varied and included, e.g.
medicine, technology, agriculture, geography, physics, chemistry, mathematics
botany, zoology and mineralogy. There was a deep focus on new useful inventions.
Some papers may seem rather naive, ridiculous or extremely out-dated today, while
other papers report important discoveries, such as the discovery of several chemical
elements, e.g. nickel, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, manganese, barium, chlorine, silicon and selenium.
6.2 The Academy Secretary
The work in the Academy was organised by the Secretary. The first two years, von
Höpken served as secretary, then the position was briefly held by Jacob Faggot
(1699–1777) and Pehr Elvius. Upon Elvius‘ death in 1749, Pehr Wargentin was
appointed secretary, and he would hold the position for 34 years, longer than any
Secretary in the history of the Academy.
4
3
Sweden had by tradition used black letter typefaces, like in Germany, but in the Age of
Enlightment the Roman typefaces became increasingly popular, especially in science. In more
traditional fields such as theology and law, the black letter typefaces survived into the nineteenth
century.
4
Chemist Jacob Berzelius came close, by serving 30 years as Secretary (1818–1848).
76
6 Bergman, Scheele and the Royal Academy of Sciences
Bergman’s publications in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Science in
Uppsala, such as the paper on classification of larvae (Sect. 5.3) and his last paper
on classification of minerals (Sect. 25.8) were delayed by several years. The high
publication rate of the Stockholm Academy was partly due to the fact that the
president of the Academy was elected for a three-month period, and his main task
was to deliver an issue of the Transactions by the end of his term. In order to reach
a broader audience and not only the professors in Uppsala, the Transactions were
published in Swedish, although some professors would still have preferred Latin in
order to more easily attract an international audience. The Transactions were
translated to German, but with a few years delay. Some of Scheele’s and Bergman’s
papers were, however, published in German translation in Crell’s Chemische
Annalen. It was Wilcke who provided Crell with translations, at least in 1784 [3].
The choice of typeface for the journal resulted in considerable debate. von
Höpken advocated the old-fashioned black letter typeface,
3 which was used until
1743, when a switch was made to a modern Roman typeface [4]. Manuscripts were
submitted by both members of the Academy and by the public. Manuscripts that
appeared to meet the standard were read in the Academy and then sent to referees
[5]. The accepted manuscripts were finally edited by the secretary and longer
essays, such as Scheele’s paper on manganese (Sect. 15.1), were frequently divided
in parts. The contents of the Transactions were very varied and included, e.g.
medicine, technology, agriculture, geography, physics, chemistry, mathematics
botany, zoology and mineralogy. There was a deep focus on new useful inventions.
Some papers may seem rather naive, ridiculous or extremely out-dated today, while
other papers report important discoveries, such as the discovery of several chemical
elements, e.g. nickel, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, manganese, barium, chlorine, silicon and selenium.
6.2 The Academy Secretary
The work in the Academy was organised by the Secretary. The first two years, von
Höpken served as secretary, then the position was briefly held by Jacob Faggot
(1699–1777) and Pehr Elvius. Upon Elvius‘ death in 1749, Pehr Wargentin was
appointed secretary, and he would hold the position for 34 years, longer than any
Secretary in the history of the Academy.
4
3
Sweden had by tradition used black letter typefaces, like in Germany, but in the Age of
Enlightment the Roman typefaces became increasingly popular, especially in science. In more
traditional fields such as theology and law, the black letter typefaces survived into the nineteenth
century.
4
Chemist Jacob Berzelius came close, by serving 30 years as Secretary (1818–1848).
76
6 Bergman, Scheele and the Royal Academy of Sciences