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Is Science a Brotherhood? the Case of Siegried Ruhemann

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Is Science a Brotherhood? the Case of Siegried Ruhemann 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 Niels Bohr 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, Chemistry at the Royal Institution in London. 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 chemist. 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 England 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 Chemical Society 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 University of Cambridge. 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.
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