|
Listing of Bachas Scientific Ancestors (in
alphabetical order by first name)
Images below from University of Pennsylvania Library,
Center for Electronic Text and Image
http://www.library.upenn.edu/etext/smith/chemists.html
Biographies of Scientific Ancestors
Adriaan van den Spieghel
Professor of anatomy, surgery, and botany; published works on malaria
and tapeworms, and one of the first texts on plant anatomy; wrote an influential
anatomical text, De humani corporis fabrica, that was published posthumously;
also wrote a treatise on human embryology.
Andrew Plummer
Analyzed mineral waters and coal; established teaching of modern chemistry
in Britain; developed "Plummerís pills" which were used for nearly 200
years to treat various diseases-the pills contained antimony sulfide and
mercuric chloride (calomel).
Anthony H. v.d. Boon Mesch
Studied fermentation, mineralogy, industrial chemistry, soil and agricultural
chemistry, construction of voltaic batteries, and boiling points of water-alcohol
mixtures.
 Antoine F. de Fourcroy
Member of the editorial board of Lavoisierís journal Annales de Chimie;
wrote a ten-volume text that organized chemistry with concepts such as
elements, acids, bases, and salts; collaborated with Lavoisier, Berthollet,
and de Morveau on nomenclature for chemical compounds.
 Antoine
Lavoisier
Father of Modern Chemistry. Overturned phlogiston theory and
proposed modern view of combustion; established chemical components of
water; co-founded modern chemical nomenclature; founded science of calorimetry;
discovered law of conservation of matter; established chemical identity
of metal oxides; wrote first modern chemistry textbook "Traite Elementaire
de Chimie" in 1789; guillotined after French Revolution.
Antoine P.N. Franchimont
Co-discovered triphenylmethane and anthraquinone; studied the acylation
of sugars and cellulose; studied nitroamino compounds and discovered "tetryl"
which was a popular explosive in the early 1900s; studied chemistry of
hydrogen azide, urea, urethanes, nitric acid, and oxalic acid.
Antoine Vallot
Physician (personal physician to King Louis XIV of France); botanist;
director of Jardin du Roi.
Antonio M. Brasavola
Physician to Francis I of France, Kaiser Charles V of Germany, King
Henry VIII of England, and Popes Paul III, Leo X, Clemens VII, and Julius
III; introduced the use of many plants for medical purposes; organized
the famous botanical gardens of Belvedere.
Augustin LeRoyer
Pharmacist; discovered presence of iodine in sponges and manufactured
iodine for the treatment of goiter; co-advanced a new theory of digestion.
Little information of LeRoyer could be found; he operated a family pharmacy
jointly with Tingry, an older man trained as a chemist and who taught classes
in Geneva; from this we suggest that Tingry was LeRoyerís teacher.
Burchard de Volder
Professor of natural philosophy and mathematics; enthusiastic follower
of Boyle; published studies on the weight of air; improved the air pump;
set up the first physics laboratory in Leiden; co-edited the works of Christian
Huygens.
Caspar G.C. Reinwardt
Professor of biology, geology, natural history, and chemistry; director
of Harderwijk botanical museum; collected botanical specimens in Java and
elsewhere in the British East India colonies.
Charles Gaspard de la Rive
Teacher; early supporter of Davyís views on electrochemistry, Daltonís
atomic theory, and Berzeliusí theory of definite proportions; studied sound
produced by a jet of hydrogen burning in a tube; invented a new galvanometer
based on the electrolytic decomposition of water; followed his teacher
Allen in attributing animal heat to the combustion in the blood of food
particles; invented a qualitative test for the presence of arsenic.
Christoph A. Mangold
Professor of anatomy, chemistry, and philosophy; investigated the chemistry
of gunpowder; analyzed cinnabar; proposed a new system of medical thought
based on the ideas that a medical diagnosis can only be made after careful
comparison to the patientís symptoms and medical tests with those of many
other previously studied patients, and that none of the then popular theories
of diseases and illnesses was true or useful; recognized the importance
of distinguishing the underlying illnesses and overlying complications;
recognized that a therapy must not be judged effective just because the
symptoms are relieved since some patients get better by themselves.
Christophe Glaser
Professor at Jardin du Roi; described preparation of arsenic trichloride;
bismuth oxynitrate, and potassium sulfate; imprisoned in the Bastille for
supplying arsenic to Sainte-Croix, who poisoned the Marchioness de Brinvilliers.
 Claude
Berthollet
Determined composition of NH3, HCN, H2S; the latter two compounds disproved
Lavoisierís contention that oxygen was the key component of acids; introduced
aqueous chlorine as a bleaching agent; one of the originators of volumetric
analysis; showed presence of nitrogen in animal matter; discovered cyanogen
chloride and potassium chlorate; co-founded modern chemical nomenclature.
Cornelis A. Lobry de Bruyn
First to prepare free hydroxylamine and hydrazine; studied ammonia
derivatives of sugars; popularized use of methanol and ethanol as reaction
solvents; studied alkali salts of sugars; used optical scattering and centrifuges
to study colloids and suspensions; synthesis and characterization of nitroaromatic
compounds; studied kinetics of the formation of ether from organic halides
and alkoxides and the effect of water on the rate.
Ernst G. Baldinger
Professor of medicine; founded a chemical library at Marburg; established
in 1775 first specialized scientific journal published in any language,
Magazine fur Arzte; wrote text on medical ailments of soldiers based on
his experiences as a surgeon in the Seven Yearsí War.
Franciscus Sylvius
Physician and professor of medicine; one of the first to defend Harveyís
new theory of the circulation of the blood; described the anatomy of the
brain and cerebral arteries; champion of iatrochemistry-the idea that illnesses
are treatable by chemical medicines; investigated heat given off when acids
react with alkalis and iron filings.
 Friedrich
A. Kekule
Co-founded structural organic chemistry; established structure of benzene,
and existence of double and triple bonds; first to recognize that in hydrocarbons
the carbon atoms are connected to one another; derived the 2n+2 rule for
the stoichiometry of alkanes; studied organic acids, azo, and diazo compounds,
electrolysis of dibasic acids, and carboxylation of aryl bromides.
Gabriele Fallopio
Professor of botany, surgery, and anatomy; discovered Fallopian tubes
and described the anatomy of the kidneys; described the structure of the
skull, especially the muscles and the cranial and facial nerves; studied
the ossification of bones and dentition of the teeth during growth; first
to describe the cochlea, the vestibules, and the semicircular canals of
the ear.
 Garry A. Rechnitz
Retired as Professor at University of Hawaii in December of 2000; focuses
on bioanalytical chemistry with emphasis on biosensors for biomedicine
and biotechnology, particularly biomagnetic neurosensors, immunosensors,
receptor-based sensors, and biocatalytic sensors; pioneer in the area of
tissue-based sensors.
Georg E. Hamberger
Professor of medicine, surgery, and botany; studied the physiology
of respiration, especially the mechanism of breathing; wrote important
textbook on physiology and described the function of the thorax muscles,
intercostal muscles, and pleural sac; studied reaction of camphor with
nitric acid; wrote about the causes of gravitation and the ascension of
gases.
George W. Wedel
Professor of surgery, botany, theoretical medicine, practical medicine,
and chemistry; prolific author, especially on alchemy and pharmaceutical
chemistry; studied plating of copper onto iron from copper sulfate solutions;
studied volatile salts obtained from plants; invented new medicines; drew
up a new and accurate edition of the Greek Bible translated into German.
Gerard Vrolik
Professor of botany, anatomy, physiology, and obstetrics; was the first
professor in Holland to found an obstetric clinic; established a private
anatomical museum which became an important part of the Amsterdam Academy
collection; expert on the anatomy of the pelvis and its relationship to
the birth process and bipedalism in man; wrote texts on the defoliation
of plants and the flora of Amsterdam.
Girolamo A. Fabrici
Professor of anatomy and surgery; first to describe in detail the valves
in veins; wrote treatises on the anatomy of the larynx, the lens of the
eye, the mechanics of respiration, and the actions of muscles; published
exhaustive study of the development of the chick embryo and thereby founded
fields of comparative and developmental embryology.
Giulio C. Casseri
Professor of surgery and anatomy; gave first detailed descriptions
of the organs of speech and hearing, especially of the tympanic nerve and
its relation to the hammer and stirrup bones of the ear; published text
containing extensive anatomical tables.
Guillame F. Rouelle
Founder of French school of chemistry; geologist and phlogistonist;
proposed first modern definition of salts and first to distinguish neutral,
acid, and basic salts; explained dehydrating action of sulfuric acid; proposed
a theory of distillation; studied the reaction of essential oils with nitric
acid; studied the chemical components of plants; analyzed mineral waters;
established that the Egyptians used Na2CO3, succinic acid, and coal to
effect mummification.
Heinrich Will
Co-inventor of improved method of determining nitrogen in organic compound;
co-discoverer of trinitroresorcinol; showed that oil of mustard is allyl
thiocyanate; invented a vapor pressure method to determine molecular weights;
studied products of the potassium reduction of carbon monoxide.
Herbert A. Laitinen
Leader in synthetic rubber research; carried out research on electrochemistry,
polarography, amperometric titrations, diffusion, polarization of microelectrodes,
fused salts, environmental science, and surface chemistry.
 Hermann
Boerhaave
Founder of clinical teaching; established that smallpox is spread by
contact; outstanding teacher and writer; introduced exact quantitative
methods into chemistry by measuring temperature and using the best available
balances; considered the founder of physical chemistry; first to obtain
urea and discovered its diuretic properties; demonstrated that water is
a product of the combustion of alcohol; provided evidence against the transmutation
of metals; proved experimentally that heat is weightless and carried out
first calorimetric studies; classified and studied solubilities of salts.
Isaak M. Kolthoff
Studied acid-base titrations; including characteristics of indicators,
pH paper, buffers, and pH electrodes; pioneered conductometric analyses,
especially end-point detection; coined the terms potentiometric titration
and amperometric titration, and carried out many studies of these techniques;
studied analytically important precipitates for gravimetric analyses; pioneer
in use of radioactive indicators; studied kinetics of emulsion polymerization;
developed industrial method for the low temperature synthesis of rubber;
wrote many monographs and textbooks, including editing most of well-renown,
multi-volume Treatise on Analytical Chemistry. One of the chemistry
buildings at the University of Minnesota is named in his honor.
J.G. Spitzley
Little is known, birth and death dates are guesses in table.
 Jean
B.A. Dumas
Wrote a commentary criticizing Berzeliusí radical theory of chemical
structure and later discovered the methyl radical; wanted to remove the
word atom from chemical vocabulary; invented the type theory of organic
structure; developed methods for determining nitrogen content of organic
compounds based on combustion, and for measuring the atomic weights of
liquid and solid substances based on vaporization; first to isolate anthracene
from coal.
Jean B.M. Bucquet
Analyzed zeolite; first to teach Lavoisierís theories in France; collaborator
with Lavoisier from 1777; first detailed accounts on plant chemistry; showed
CO2 was acidic; analyzed opium; discovered morphine; studied chemistry
of NH4Cl and arsenic salts; analyzed blood and isolated fibrin.
Johann A. Wedel
Professor of medicine; published texts on fermentation, camphor, magnesium
carbonate, the combustion of sulfur, and on a variety of medical topics.
Johann C. Wieglieb
Phlogistonist; apothecary; founded the first chemical-pharmaceutical
institute in Germany; investigated fermentation, alkaline slats in plants,
and the combustion of chalk; disputed possibility of the transmutation
of elements; reported that oxalic acid is a separate compound.
Johann F.A. Gottling
Developed and sold chemical assay kits and studied processes for extracting
sugar from beets, both to supplement his small university salary; studied
chemistry of sulfur, arsenic, phosphorus, and mercury; wrote texts on analytical
chemistry; studied oxidation of organic compounds by nitric acid; one of
first in Germany to take a stand against the phlogiston hypothesis and
for the new "French" chemistry of Lavoisier.
 Joseph
L. Gay-Lussac
Co-discovered Charlesí Law relating temperature to the volume of gases;
discovered boron and established elementary nature of iodine and sulfur;
analyzed sugar; showed that fluoride was a constituent of bones; discovered
law of combining volumes and originator of volumetric analysis; showed
that one volume of oxygen reacts with two volumes of hydrogen to give water
and established similar relationships for NH3 + HCl, N2 + O2, and N2 +
3H2; developed assay of Ag+ by titration with chloride; studied chemistry
of cyanogen; showed that "prussic acid" was HCN; first prepared ethyl iodide,
hydrogen fluoride, organic amides, and the peroxides of Na and K; coined
the name racemic acid; held world record for manned balloon flight (7019
meters) and pioneered measurement of temperature, pressure, humidity, and
magnetic field strength as a function of height.
John Allen
Physician, lecturer, historian; translated Cuvierís "Introduction to
the Study of Animal Economy"; wrote books on Spanish history, English royalty,
and Scottish independence.
 Justus
von Liebig
Promoted view that metabolism involved oxidation of food; discovered
structural isomers, and concept of functional groups; first to experiment
with artificial fertilizers; pioneer in agricultural and food chemistry;
devised combustion analysis; one of the great chemistry teachers of all
time-he was the intellectual father/grandfather of most chemists of his
time; systemized organic acids.
Karl F.W.G. Kastner
Pharmacist; chemist; teacher; wrote many textbooks on chemistry, German
industry, and meteorology; studied triboluminescence induced by sublimation
or dissolution, catalytic effect of Pt on hydrogen combustion. Chlorination
of starch and sugar, medical applications of bisulfates and calcium salts,
and preparation of various organic compounds; analyzed mineral waters and
developed water purification methods; invented a galvanometer.
 Louis
J. Thenard
Co-discoverer of boron; worked extensively with devising methods of
organic analysis.
 Louis
N. Vauquelin
Discovered the element chromium; isolated many substances of medical
interest including urea, allantoin, asparagine, quinic acid, cyanic acid,
and uric acid.
 Mark E. Meyerhoff.
Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan; extensive research
in the areas of bioanalytical chemistry, electrochemical and optical sensors,
liquid chromatography, and immunoassays.
Nicolaas Schoorl
Pioneer in microchemical analyses; studied carbamide derivatives of
sugars; developed titrimetric and gravimetric methods for the quantitative
determination of metals and metalloids, and for the analysis of sugars,
milk constituents, and various organic functional groups; investigated
steam distillation methods.
 Nicolas
Lemery
First to distinguish between organic and inorganic chemistry; adopted
an atomic theory assuming that fundamental particles have characteristic
shapes; discovered a commercial process for the production of sulfuric
acid; obtained boric acid from borax; investigated chemistry of antimony
sulfide; analyzed camphor and honey.
Nicolo da Lonigo
One of the most famous scholars of his time and largely responsible
for the reformation in medicine in the 16th century; professor of mathematics,
Greek philosophy, and medicine; pioneer in the accurate translation of
ancient Greek medical texts into Latin, especially those of Galen and Hippocrates;
published first scholarly work on syphilis.
Pelope
???
Pierre Francois Tingry
Chemist, pharmacist, and mineralogist; professor of natural history
and applied chemistry; wrote texts on the chemistry of varnish and on mineral
waters; wrote articles on phosphoric acid, phosphorescence, electricity,
and fossils.
Pierre J. Macquer
First to notice that water is produced by a hydrogen flame; analyzed
gypsum and discovered first arsenate salts; showed Prussian Blue contains
Fe and devised a method to use it to dye wool and silk; re-introduced the
term "gas"; wrote first modern chemical dictionary; used burning lenses
to study effect of high temperatures on platinum and diamonds.
Sebald J. Brugmans
Professor of philosophy, astronomy, botany, natural history, and chemistry;
wrote a famous text on gangrene; consulting physician to King Louis Bonaparte
of Holland; his oratorical talent was so notable that for years afterward
it was proverbial in Holland to say "He speaks like Brugmans".
Stupaeus
???
Werner Rolfink
First professor of chemistry in Jena; also taught anatomy, surgery,
and botany; gave lectures that involved dissection of executed criminals-an
innovation that aroused controversy; first to demonstrate the location
of cataracts in the lens of the eye; wrote texts on pharmaceutical chemistry;
opposed alchemical and superstitious thinking, and wrote a book on chemical
impossibilities such as the transmutation of metals into gold, the resuscitation
of a plant from its ashes, obtaining oils from precious stones, etc.
 William Cullen
Held the first independent lectureship in chemistry in the British
Isles and first at Glasgow to teach in English rather than Latin; discovered
the phenomenon of the cold produced by evaporating fluids; first to give
symbolic precision to the affinity tables then in vogue; studied various
medical phenomena, especially classification of diseases; suggested analysis
of soil for nitrate content to determine soil fertility.
Wolter F. Verschuir
Professor of medicine, pathology, and chemistry; wrote works on epidemic
fevers, on disorders of the arteries and veins, the inoculation of pustules,
and the uses of experiment and observation in medicine; adherent of Cullenís
views on chemistry.
|
