In the history of chemistry we often write about 'chemists' of the past. But what do we mean when we use that term? Were those 'forerunners' people like ourselves: chemical investigators, in some way educated in chemistry, getting a living out of chemistry, and calling themselves 'chemists'? During most of the period discussed in this lecture this was not the case. The speaker will present a broad 'tour d'horizon' of how within Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, North America the group of those who were called 'chemists' (or similar) gradually changed from alchemists, to medical doctors and preparers of 'chymical' remedies, to teachers of chemistry and, often, other subjects, publishing textbooks and papers on chemistry. Special attention will be paid to when and how chemistry became an 'occupation.' During that process, after about 1750. 'chemical societies' were established as well; sometimes seen as an indicator of 'professionalization.' We will therefore also discuss the nature of those societies and investigate how they changed over time.

Chemists and chemical societies, 1500-1900

248th National Meeting (2014)

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