St Louis College of Pharmacy - Prescripto Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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Dnfsclzilnio Progress of Chemistry zxgrn Chemistry had its beginning with early primitive man. Primitive man knew that skins of animals could be preserved with salt, and that they could be rendered soft with tallow: that clay became hard on heating: and that rubbing Hint stones together would cause sparks to start a fire. lVith the advance of civilization, about Tutankhamens time, linen, silverware, bronze, gold, glass, and many other things became known. Still later, in our modern day, all of the elements have become known but one, and science is advanc- ing very rapidly. . Alchemy began in the Middle Ages and continued to Queen Elizabeths ti1ne. The alchemist believed that he could transform any metal into gold or whatever he wished. He thought this could be done by divesting a metal of its true proper- ties and substituting new ones. The alchemist was very optimistic though unsuccessful. Alchemy continued to Queen Elizabetlfs ti1ne. It was then considered Black Magic, a power given by the devil, and was ridiculed and denounced by several of the Popes. Interest was thus lost in alchemy. In the beginning of the Seventeenth Century, men became very inquisitive about science, and the experimental method was introduced. Sciences. such as anatomy, physiology, and astronomy, made rapid progress. Robert Boyle, an Irish chemist, recognized that the universe is composed of a limited number of elements which are not transformable into another, but that they may combine with others to form compounds with different properties. John Black, of England, made the first quantitative studies of chemical compounds by accurately measuring the con- stituents of chemical compounds. Following Black came the great Swedish experi- mentalist, Scheele, the discoverer of oxygen and chlorine, and other important elements. The French chemist, Lavoisier, explained the process of respiration, combusition, rusting, and decay. Sir l-lumphery Dany discovered six elements, the greatest number discovered by any man, and Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, discovered live elements. For two centuries, inorganic chemistry advanced very rapidly. By 1830 methods of analysis were so good that accurate statements of the qualitative and quantitative constituents ot compounds could be given. About this same time organic chemistry had its beginning. The compounds urea, potassium cyanide, oxalic acid, and acetic acid were synthesized. Until 1860 some of the most important dyes, such as indigo, were obtainable only from plants, but these dyes are now derived from coal tar. The theory that organic chemistry pertained only to compounds obtained from living things, such plants and animals, was now exploded. bp to the present fCoz1Ii1mUd on Page 102.2 X ei ri 9 3 2 at ' LID Page One Httndred

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Q-----f-:z I3 I2 li 5 0 D I D T o which is on the tongue of every business man in this country. Perhaps they came because the admission was ninety-nine cents, but a person with ninetyfnine cents is not in a total state of depression. However, the power which drew this large crowd was, I believe, not the admission price but rather the anticipation of a good time. Everyone, with very few exceptions, if any, obtained what he was look- ing for. The dance was a success, both socially and financially. Its success was due, as is all success, to co-operation. This was certainly not lacking as all th1'ee classes bent every effort to make this venture a success. Due credit must be given to the three classes collectively, the members of the Omega Phi and the dance committee. fc 1 'flu 3 2 mp Page NinetyfNine

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