Berzelius

Berzelius, Jons Jakob, was born in Sweden in 1779. He showed at first an inclination towards natural science, but on going to the University of Upsala threw himself zealously into the study of chemistry under Afzelius. In 1800 he was called to Stockholm as assistant to Dr. Hedin, and soon after began to lecture on physics, directing his attention specially to the bearing of chemistry on physiology. He early appreciated Volta's discoveries, sharing with Davy the honour of propounding the electro-chemical theory. After several valuable treatises on physics, chemistry, and mineralogy, he produced in 1810 his great work on Fixed Proportions and the Weights of Atoms, and this was followed by a Treatise on the Blowpipe, which led to the classification of minerals according to their chemical constituents. For this the Royal Society of London awarded him the Copley medal. He gave up lecturing in 1832, but went on with his investigations. In 1842 he was nearly killed by an explosion, but his death did not occur until 1848.