Becher

Becher, Johann Joachim, was born at Spires in 1635. He acquired a great knowledge of medicine, chemistry, and physics, and in 1666 became professor at Mayence. Thence he moved to Munich, and later on appeared at Vienna, where, under the patronage of Zinzendorf, he started several ambitious enterprises for trade and manufacture. Something was amiss in his character, for he had to fly from Vienna, and in 1678 he found himself at Haarlem, afterwards visiting England and Scotland. He is said to have died in London in 1682. His many works, though affected by the old quackery and superstition, show a decided progress towards scientific chemistry, leading up to the phlogistic theory of Stahl. He discovered boracic acid.