over his theories [. . .], once it became clear that application of them made it
possible to manufacture plastics systematically” [43, p. 7]. Staudinger himself
pointed out that “industry accepted his views much more quickly than the scientific
community” (Hamburger Echo, 6 November 1953). He enjoyed playing the role of
the “fighter” even so, continuing to play it when the hatchet had long been buried,
i.e. when he was already preaching to the converted where his macromolecule
theory was concerned (see Sect. 3: “1933–1945”). It almost appears that he was
afraid he might lose the victory he had won again if he no longer needed to defend it
against anyone. Staudinger seemed to be driven by emotional forces of some kind
that required him to prove himself again and again and to seek approval – something that is also confirmed by his never-ending stream of publications. This was
even though no-one disputed his success; on the contrary, three general universities
(Mainz, Salamanca and Torino) and three technical universities (Karlsruhe, Strasbourg and Zurich) awarded Staudinger honorary doctorates. He also received the
Emil Fischer Commemorative Medal from the Association of German Chemists
(VDCh), the Leblanc Commemorative Medal from the French Chemistry Association (SFC), the Cannizzaro Prize from the Italian Accademia dei Lincei, the
Golden Commemorative Badge from the Association of Finnish Chemists and, in
1952, the Grand Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is quite
possible even so that Staudinger only obtained the final certainty he needed to be
unimpressed by adversaries and opponents when he received the Nobel Prize as the
highest possible form of acknowledgement. Not least of all, the Nobel Prize brought
him a great deal of money: Staudinger received a cheque for 175,292.94 Swedish
krona, which was worth about DEM 140,000 (cf. [41]). The Wochenend newspaper
[41] congratulated him as follows: “While [. . .] the whole of Germany can share the
glory, the scholar alone decides what the money is used for”.
The impact of the honour bestowed on Staudinger was felt in particular by
Freiburg, the city in Baden-Wu ¨rttemberg where he had been university professor
from 1926 to 1951. The news that Staudinger had received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry spread there like wildfire on 5 November 1953; Freiburg professors and
about 400 students held a torchlight procession to Staudinger’s house the same
evening to honour the prize winner. “The whole of Lugostrasse was bathed in vivid,
warm torchlight – and the beautiful old song ‘Gaudeamus igitur’ was sung in
triumph after the speeches” [40, p. 24]. The Schwarzwa¨lder Bote (8 November
1953) summarised the speeches:
The current professor of chemistry at Freiburg University, Professor Dr (Arthur, editor’s
note) Lu ¨ttringhaus (1906–1992, editor’s note), paid tribute [. . .] to his predecessor’s life’s
work. Professor Staudinger had helped the German scientific community to develop an
excellent reputation by carrying out his trailblazing research [. . .]. The chemical community in Germany had been expecting Professor Staudinger to be given the highest award for
his work some time for years now. The rector of Freiburg University, Professor (WalterHerwig, editor’s note) Schuchhardt (1900–1976, editor’s note) thanked Professor Staudinger primarily for remaining loyal to Freiburg University for 25 years. The name of
Freiburg University had become famous throughout the world as a result of his work.
Courageous Questioning of Established Thinking: The Life and Work of Hermann. . .
127
possible to manufacture plastics systematically” [43, p. 7]. Staudinger himself
pointed out that “industry accepted his views much more quickly than the scientific
community” (Hamburger Echo, 6 November 1953). He enjoyed playing the role of
the “fighter” even so, continuing to play it when the hatchet had long been buried,
i.e. when he was already preaching to the converted where his macromolecule
theory was concerned (see Sect. 3: “1933–1945”). It almost appears that he was
afraid he might lose the victory he had won again if he no longer needed to defend it
against anyone. Staudinger seemed to be driven by emotional forces of some kind
that required him to prove himself again and again and to seek approval – something that is also confirmed by his never-ending stream of publications. This was
even though no-one disputed his success; on the contrary, three general universities
(Mainz, Salamanca and Torino) and three technical universities (Karlsruhe, Strasbourg and Zurich) awarded Staudinger honorary doctorates. He also received the
Emil Fischer Commemorative Medal from the Association of German Chemists
(VDCh), the Leblanc Commemorative Medal from the French Chemistry Association (SFC), the Cannizzaro Prize from the Italian Accademia dei Lincei, the
Golden Commemorative Badge from the Association of Finnish Chemists and, in
1952, the Grand Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is quite
possible even so that Staudinger only obtained the final certainty he needed to be
unimpressed by adversaries and opponents when he received the Nobel Prize as the
highest possible form of acknowledgement. Not least of all, the Nobel Prize brought
him a great deal of money: Staudinger received a cheque for 175,292.94 Swedish
krona, which was worth about DEM 140,000 (cf. [41]). The Wochenend newspaper
[41] congratulated him as follows: “While [. . .] the whole of Germany can share the
glory, the scholar alone decides what the money is used for”.
The impact of the honour bestowed on Staudinger was felt in particular by
Freiburg, the city in Baden-Wu ¨rttemberg where he had been university professor
from 1926 to 1951. The news that Staudinger had received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry spread there like wildfire on 5 November 1953; Freiburg professors and
about 400 students held a torchlight procession to Staudinger’s house the same
evening to honour the prize winner. “The whole of Lugostrasse was bathed in vivid,
warm torchlight – and the beautiful old song ‘Gaudeamus igitur’ was sung in
triumph after the speeches” [40, p. 24]. The Schwarzwa¨lder Bote (8 November
1953) summarised the speeches:
The current professor of chemistry at Freiburg University, Professor Dr (Arthur, editor’s
note) Lu ¨ttringhaus (1906–1992, editor’s note), paid tribute [. . .] to his predecessor’s life’s
work. Professor Staudinger had helped the German scientific community to develop an
excellent reputation by carrying out his trailblazing research [. . .]. The chemical community in Germany had been expecting Professor Staudinger to be given the highest award for
his work some time for years now. The rector of Freiburg University, Professor (WalterHerwig, editor’s note) Schuchhardt (1900–1976, editor’s note) thanked Professor Staudinger primarily for remaining loyal to Freiburg University for 25 years. The name of
Freiburg University had become famous throughout the world as a result of his work.
Courageous Questioning of Established Thinking: The Life and Work of Hermann. . .
127