1]6 Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000)

IS SCIENCE A BROTHERHOOD? THE CASE OF SIEGRIED RUHEMANN

Mrtn . Sltzn, rvdn Cl

In 1946 wrote: " Scientists have long con- when Siegfried was only seven, the family moved to sidered themselves a brotherhood working in the ser- Berlin. There Siegfried received his primary and sec- vice of common human ideas ondary education and then (1)." Such sentiments would enrolled at the Friedrich- be accepted today without Wilhelms-Universität in question. Even during the Berlin. The death of his fa- height of the Cold War scien- ther left the family in a pre- tific exchanges occurred be- carious financial situation tween the United States and so Siegfried had to work to the Soviet Union. However pay for his university fees. the life of Siegfried He obtained his Ph.D. un- Ruhemann (1859-1943) of- der the direction of A.W. fers an example of how this Hofmann for a dissertation has not always been the case. entitled, "Contributions to Virtually unknown in the the Knowledge of Di-and- chemical community, Triamines of the Aromatic Siegfried Ruhemann made a Series," which he defended most important contribution on December 22, 1881. in 1910 with the discovery of Ruhemann continued his ninhydrin and its use as a re- association with Hofmann agent to characterize the pres- until 1885, when an oppor- ence of amino acids and pep- tunity was presented to him tides (2). Robert West has dis- by Hofmann to move to cussed the discovery of nin- Cambridge University as hydrin as an example of the the assistant to the Jackso- adage of the well prepared nian Professor of Natural mind (3). Experimental Philosophy, James Dewar (1842-1923). Siegfried Ruhemann, the At this time Cambridge was son of Abraham and Marriana a scientific backwater still (nee Rosenberg), was born on Siegfried Ruhemann steeped in the tradition of January 4, 1859 in the East the classical education, and Prussian town of Johannesburg. Because Abraham Dewar also accepted the offer of the Fullerian Chair of Ruhemann, who was in the leather trade, died in 1866, at the in . This po- Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000) 117

sition did not require him to give up his Cambridge pro- He al ways seemed to be as pleased in giving the lec- fessorship; and, much to the dismay of Cambridge Uni- tures as the audience was in hearing them. Within a versity, he held both positions until his death. Dewar short time at the end of the lecture he came around was a brilliant researcher but had a very temperamental the laboratory asking each individual who had been present, whether there was any further points that nature. One of his few friends, Henry Edward needed explanation. As a teacher of practical Or- Armstrong, wrote of Dewar (4): ganic Chemistry Ruhemann was even more in his ...men have sometimes said that he was cantanker- element than in the lecture room. ous, contentious, quarrelsome, a man with whom it In spite of his success, however, Dewar sought to dis- was impossible to work.... choleric, irascible, he was miss Ruhemann after five years for reasons that are still certainly was at times...and a good hater." not fully known. Dewar believed that he had the sole Dewar had insisted that he should have an assistant (dem- right to hire and dismiss his assistant and did not have onstrator) who would help prepare his lecture demon- to offer any reason. From a pamphlet Dewar had pri- strations. Dewar became disenchanted with Cambridge vately printed in 1891 (concerning the Ruhemann af- and spent more time in London, while his assistant took fair), one can speculate that Dewar felt Ruhemann had over more and more of the lecturing and supervision of been a disloyal servant to his master (6). Given the heavy research students. As Dewar came to realize the impor- burden he was carrying in teaching and research, tance of organic chemistry, a field in which he himself Ruhemann expected to be treated with the respect due a had little interest or formal training, he decided the best colleague, whereas Dewar treated him as a servant. way to improve this deficiency was to hire a German- Dewar requested that Ruhemann resign his position on trained Ph.D. to replace his first demonstrator who had December 7, 1890. Ruhemann tried to effect some kind resigned in 1884 The best possible person from whom of reconciliation with Dewar through the offices of to seek advice was A. W. Hofmann, who had been Pro- George Liveing, the head of the University Chemistry fessor of Chemistry at the Royal College of Chemistry Department. He asked to be given a suitable period of and its successor institutions from 1845-1863. His labo- time to find a new position. Dewar would have nothing ratory in Berlin had become a mecca for many English of it, writing Ruhemann that if the resignation was note students seeking to advance their education and careers received by December 15, Dewar would assume that he by obtaining their Ph. D. in Germany. Who else was in had refused to resign. When the deadline passed, Dewar a better position to suggest a person to fill Dewar's needs wrote the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (the at Cambridge? Why Ruhemann was chosen is difficult administrative head of the University) of his intention to establish, but one can only speculate that Hofmann to appoint a new assistant. The Vice-Chancellor, the considered him a first-rate organic . As a Jew, Rev. Dr. Montague Butler, Master of Trinity College, Ruhemann had a serious disadvantage to establish him- replied by noting the contributions that had been made self in German academia at that time. Young and single, by Ruhemann during his past five years (6): he must have found the offer to go to attrac- It has become clear to me during the last ten days tive. Upon his arrival in 1885 Ruhemann almost imme- that not a few very distinguished members of the diately took over the lectures in organic chemistry from University have the strongest possible sense of the Dewar, even though this was not part of his official du- value of Mr. Ruhemann's service as a teacher, and ties. Space was available in the university laboratory, that they regard his retirement from Cambridge, es- and within five years he had published six papers of his pecially if it seemed to carry with it any stigma, as own work and seven in collaboration with students. little short of a calamity. He is beloved and respected These appeared in the Journal of the in no ordinary degree, and his dismissal would as well as in German journals such as Berichte. In his awaken very general and earnest sympathy. papers appearing in the Journal of the Chemical Soci- The university committee charged with appointments, ety, Ruhemann identified himself as Jacksonian Dem- meeting on January 26, 1891, noted that Dewar was onstrator in the . He proved to adamant in his right to do what he wanted in his capac- be an effective and popular lecturer and had a good ity as Jacksonian Professor. A resolution to this situa- command of English but with a distinct German ac- tion was sought by appointing Ruhemann a University cent. In his obituary notice in the Journal of the Chemi- Lecturer in the chemistry department. However Liveing, cal Society recollections of Ruhemann as a teacher by a who had been Dewar's research collaborator for many Dr. J. T. Hewitt are quoted (5): years, indicated that there was no room in the labora- tory in which Ruhemann could continue his research. 118 Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000)

Dewar ordered Ruhemann to vacate the laboratory space German descent were not to be trusted. After the first belonging to Dewar by June, 1891. In a paper published battle of the Marne, September 6-12, 1914, it became in 1890 Ruhemann identified himself as University Lec- evident that this was not going to be a short or glorious turer in Chemistry, but without laboratory space this war. On Thursday, September 10, 1914 the Nature edi- would seem to torial ran as have been a pyr- follows (8): rhic victory. For- Mn f tunately for hv bn Ruhemann, rt dr many of the con- r f Gr stituent colleges n nd of Cambridge Grn hv University had nt ln their own labora- n ln, tories at this time; bt hv and he was in- n lrnd vited to use the tht hr facilities of "ltr" Gonville and nd d Caius College. rbl r From 1891-1909, nztn when Ruhemann hv nt bn was readmitted rd into the univer- d nt sity laboratory dbt following Shd hnn nd tdnt llbrtr t Cbrd, thht b Liveing's retire- prbbl r 00 th rr ment, over 50 pa- thlv, pers of his own work, as well as 35 papers involving fr th prp f dvnn nld nd student collaborators, were published, all marked as con- vltn, bt, n ntntn f ttld pl, tributions from the Laboratories of Gonville and Caius th hv bn ftrd nd d n rdr tht l College. Ruhemann published an additional 20 papers tr t n Grn, th th Kr t t hd, hll rd rhhd vr Erp, ll trt nd of his own experimental work and 5 in collaboration ntnl rht brtd, ll nvntn t d, with students from 1909 until his resignation in 1915. ll hnr thrn t th nd, ll l f r nd In 1914 Ruhemann was elected a Fellow of the Royal vn f hnt drrdd. W r b n th Society, a mark of distinction conferred upon him by d f th n. his peers for the contributions he had made to the ad- In a letter to the editor appearing in the September 24, vancement of chemical science. 1914 issue, the Secretary of the Dutch Society of Sci- On December 30, 1900 Ruhemann married Olga ences, J.P. Lotsy, a neutral observer, succinctly summa- Liebermann (7) of Berlin. The birth of his son Martin, rized the scourge of nationalism for the scientific com- his only child, on January 17, 1903 prompted Ruhemann munity. By this time the pattern of static trench warfare to become a naturalized British citizen. Life seemed to that would persist over the next four years had been es- be very good for the family until that fatal day of June tablished (9): 28, 1914, when the Archduke Ferdinand was assassi- nd, r thn th n lv rfd. nated in Sarajevo. The beginning of World War I un- r thn th dtrtn f nnt nnt f leashed the pent-up forces of nationalism and was to rt nd n, th lt nvtbl nn claim Siegfried Ruhemann as one of its victims. The f th trrbl r: th n f htrd nd dtrt journal Nature offers a glimpse of the depth of feeling btn dffrnt ntn. t fr blf tht t th dt nd th prvl f ntf n against Germany that the war generated. This inescap- ll th rld vr t d ll n thr pr rdll ably led to the view that naturalized British citizens of t ll th fln f htrd nd dtrt.

4 "Az 4,... Bull. 'list. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000) 119

On October 8, 1914 Nature published the extremely viru- lions of Jews in eastern Europe in 1914, the total Jewish lent and inflammatory remarks of Sir William Ramsay population of Germany was approximately 570,000. titled Germany's Aims and Ambitions (10). The 1904 More then 70% of that group lived in Prussia and Berlin Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry for his discovery of in particular. Although Jewish emancipation had been the noble gases, Ramsay was one of the most vocal realized by the time of the unification of Germany un- critics of Germany in the scientific community, espe- der Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1871, there was a persistent strain cially in the early stages of the war. He began his re- of anti-semitism in the population. marks with a statement made in 1893 by Lord Rosebury: "We have to remember that it is part of our responsibil- In theory all professions were open to Germans of ity and heritage to take care that the world, so far as it Jewish background; but in practice, appointment to the can be molded by us, should receive the Anglo-Saxon, faculties of universities especially in the humanities and not another character." Ramsay then presented a almost impossible even for the most assimilated Jews. racial argument for the aims of Germany in the war (10): The law, civil service, and election to public office were also very restricted for Jews. The sciences as well as and thr dl, th hh th hv nftd medicine were fields that were much more open, and prtll ll Grn, t r rld pr fr thr r, n th nvtn tht th ndtn f the numbers of Jews in these fields vastly exceeded their hnt ll th b lrtd. h th proportion of the population. Although university pro- hh h prtd ll l f Grn t fessorships in the sciences were difficult for Jews to drn th pt nrtn th th f th obtain, there were many opportunities in the expanding prnt r. n r t b nltd t r chemical industry. th nd rhtn, trth, nd jt r t b rfd n rdr tht th Grn r prt. The increasing prosperity of Germany after unifi- cation greatly reinforced the feeling of many Jews as rthr on Ramsay made the following statement (10): being German first who happened to be of Jewish an- h rnlt f th Grn r h nvr, n pt cestry. Although strict religious observance was prac- f rtn brllnt xptn, bn thr hrtr ticed by some German Jews, many of the highly assimi- t thr metier h bn rthr th xplttn f lated Jews became members of the new reform move- th nvntn nd dvr f thr ...h bdn t nd nd th ttntn t d ment which had begun early in 19th-century Germany. tl b ntd n thr ndtrl nd ntf The precepts of the reform movement with its emphasis r n thr r...h nln tht th on adapting traditional Jewish beliefs, laws, and prac- r r f hnt nt nhnt prn tices to the modern world were more in line with the pl nt xpdn f rht nt rn. growing sense of German identity. A portion of a letter Ramsay argued for a victory that would lead to the from Chaim Weizmann to the British Foreign Secretary destruction of the German nation as a threat to human- Arthur Balfour in 1914 succinctly summarizes the situ- ity in the future (10): ation (11): h tt f th All t b vr An."...Wll h h r vn thr nr nd thr th prr f n b thrb rtrdd? I thn brn t th Grn r dn t n thr pt nt. h rtt dvn n ntf thht hv Grn nd r nrhn Grn nd nt nt bn d b br f th Grn r nr r, hh th r bndnn. hv th rlr ppld n hd Grn fr On November 12, 1914 in a commentary in Nature en- thr rn. S fr n t th prnt, th titled "The Place of Science in Industry (12)," Ramsay rtrtn f th tn ll rlv th rld fr disparaged the success of German industry by pointing dl f drt. Mh f thr prv rp out what he believed were deficiencies in industrial or- ttn h bn d t br rdnt n th ganization. Ironically, these deficiencies were the very nd fl trt tht r t prt n vtlt nd ntlltl tvt. reasons why the British chemical industry was not pre- pared in the least for a prolonged war. The editor of This curious remark by Ramsay perhaps reveals his lack Nature on January 14, 1915 wrote with particular vehe- of understanding of the situation of the Jewish popula- mence about the war. He pointed out that many Ger- tion in the Kaiser's Germany; or was it a very clever man academics, such as Prof. Kuno Meyer, who had insult to the Germans in the sense that their great scien- had long careers in Britain, now returned to Germany to tific prowess was the result of a people who were never act as agents of the German government. Meyer, who really accepted as true Germans? In contrast to the mil- had been Professor of Celtic Studies for 30 years at 120 Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000)

Liverpool University, was now trying to stir up feelings Back in Berlin, Ruhemann first served as an assis- among the nationalist community in Ireland and of the tant in Emil Fischer's laboratory and in 1921 was made American Irish in favor of Germany (13): head of an industrial research institute working on lig- But the individual, in these days, must suffer ... Sav- nite and peat. These were happy and productive years ages have a code that, after breaking bread in a man's in spite of the difficult times. His son Martin obtained house, it is treacherous to war against him; not so his doctorate in in 1928 at the University of Prof. Kuno Meyer....It behooves us to treat with sus- Berlin and later became an authority in the field of cryo- picion all naturalised aliens of Teutonic extraction; genics, contributing pioneering applications to air sepa- and yet we know, alas! that in doing this, we are act- ration and gas processing (16). ing unjustly in some cases for the crimes of his coun- trymen. It is such instances as these which make the After Siegfried Ruhemann retired in 1930, he Allies determined that such a race must be deprived looked forward to a peaceful retirement in his native of power to do mischief, whatever be the cost in life Germany. This was not to be, for within three years and money. Nazism had swept Germany into a dark era that would Ruhemann had stayed in his post in Cambridge through only end in 1945. As a retiree he probably did not feel the 1914-1915 academic year with no thoughts of leav- the full force of the Nazi racism directed against ing. As a German, however, even though a naturalized Germany's Jewish population. He belonged to that large British citizen and having lived in England for 30 years, group of assimilated Jews who thought of themselves he was viewed with suspicion in some quarters. The as Germans first and Jews second. There was no thought sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 (14) was to be of his leaving Berlin again, inasmuch as he was 74 years the deciding factor that ended his Cambridge career. old when Hitler came to power. Where was he to go anyway? Even though still a British citizen, his experi- The Cambridge Daily of May 15, 1915 printed ence in England had been in the end less than happy. the following (15): Many people are asking what the authorities intend His son Martin had married a fellow Bar- to do about German members of the university-gradu- bara Zarnico in 1930. With no prospects of employ- ate and undergraduate. There is at least one German ment for either, they had gone in 1932 to work at the drawing a good salary from the University who has newly created Institute of Applied Physics at Kharkov never made any pretense of concealing his anti-Brit- in the Soviet Union. By 1937, Stalin's paranoia had led ish sympathies....Incidentally, I notice that Cambridge to the beginning of the purges, and foreigners were no University will probably receive a Government sub- longer welcome to work in the Soviet Union. Fortu- sidy towards chemical research work. It is to be hoped nately, Martin Ruhemann, who had established a repu- that before parting with the taxpayers' money for this purpose the Government will see to it that the pro- tation in low-temperature physics, was able to emigrate posed researches are carried out by Britons to Britain and obtain a research post at Imperial Col- lege. The events of 1938 culminating in the infamous Was the last part of this statement a veiled reference to Krtllnht finally convinced Siegfried Ruhemann that Ruhemann Did Dewar, who was known to be a vin- he, too, should leave; and in 1939 he returned to Britain dictive person, have some influence on having this ap- with his wife to spend his last four years living in North pear in the newspaper? London near his son. He died of natural causes in Au- Both Ruhemann and his family were harassed by gust 1943 at the age of 84. the intense hostility felt after the sinking of the Lusitania. By no means was Siegfried Ruhemann the only Martin Ruhemann was shunned by his schoolmates, and innocent person who suffered at the hands of the ram- their family doctor refused to treat them any longer. pant nationalism and xenophobia of the era. Many dis- Having received threatening letters, Ruhemann felt he tinguished British scientists of German descent, such as must resign his lectureship for the sake of his family. the physicist (1851-1934), who was Since it was impossible to return to Germany during the elected Secretary of the Royal Society in 1912, were war, he lived quietly in Cambridge until 1919 when he questioned about their loyalty. Schuster, born in Frank- returned to Berlin. As a testament to his belief in the furt, had moved with his family to England in 1870. international nature of science, however, he did not re- During the course of the war he was hounded by a small sign his fellowship in the Royal Society, where he con- minority to resign an office to which he had been elected, tinued on the rolls until 1924, when contact between the merely because he was of German descent. Even after society and Ruhemann was severed. Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000) 121

the conclusion of hostilities, there was still a great deal 5. R. S. Morrell, "Siegfried Ruhemann 1859-1944," . of enmity toward German science and scientists from Ch. S., 44, 46-48. the British and American scientific communities. The 6. B. Pippard, "Siegfried Ruhemann (1859-1943), F. R. events discussed in this paper do not have a strict paral- S.1914-1923," t . . S. nd., , 4, 271 -276. lel in World War II. The rise of fascism and the emigra- . h Liebermanns were a business family involved in the tion of many prominent scientists from Germany and textile business. An uncle of Olga Liebermann was the Italy had an effect which moderated the extent of the noted late impressionist painter Max Liebermann. An- venomous exchanges of 1914-1918. Perhaps one of the other member of the family was Karl Liebermann, Pro- great ironies is that Churchill's scientific advisor was fessor of Chemistry at the Technische Hochschule, Frederick Lindemann, Lord Cherwell (1886-1957)—a Charlottenburg. Among his students was Fritz Haber. German-born British citizen. 8. Anonymous Éditorial, " The War—And After," tr, 4. 4, 20 . . P. Lotsy, "Renunciation of Honorary Degrees," tr. 4, 4, 88. ACKNOWLEDGMENT 10. W. Ramsay, "Germany's Aims and Ambitions," tr. 4, 4, . For the help rendered in the preparation of this pa- 11. D. Nachmansohn, Grnh nr n Sn Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New per I am indebted to Professor Brian Pippard, FRS (Cam- 00, York, 1979, 12. bridge University), and Stephen Ruhemann (University 12. W. Ramsay, "Place of Science in Industry," Nature, 4, of Bradford), grandson of Siegfried. 275-76. 13. Anonymous Éditorial "The War," tr, , 4, 527- 528. 14. The controversy still exists today as to whether the EEECES A OES Lusitania was carrying war cargo. If so, its sinking was not as barbarous an event as the British government made 1. N. Bohr in D. Masters and K. Way, Ed., On Wrld r it out to be. n, A prt t th bl n th ll Mnn f th 15. Ref. 6. At b, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1946, x. 16. For a biography of Martin Ruhemann, see Crn, 2. S. Ruhemann, "Cyclic Di- and Tri- Ketones," rn. 4, 4, 691- 693. Ch. S., 0, 97, 1438-1449. 3. R. West, "Siegfríed Ruhemann and the Discovery of Nin- hydrin," . Ch. Ed., 6, 42, 386-388. AOU E AUO 4. . E. Armstrong, r 8422, Benn, Lon- don, 1924. Martin D. Saltzman is Professor of Natural Science at Providence College, Providence, RI 02918.

AIOAwww.acs.org/outreach/landmarks ISOIC CEMICA LANDMARKS