Abstract
SCIENCE has lost one of her most diligent and devoted servants by the death of Prof. Dr. J. Poggendorff, in Berlin, on January 24, He was born in Hamburg on December 29, 1796. The early deaths of both parents forced him at a comparatively ender age to engage in the rougher conflicts of lire; a circumstance which, however, contributed in a great measure to the rapid development and maturity of his mental powers. At the age of sixteen he entered the establishment of a pharmaceutical chemist, and was actively engaged for eight years in this occupation. His hours of leisure were devoted to scientific study, and his aspirations gradually rose above the narrow limits in which he was confined. These longings were gratified in 1820, when he was enabled to enter the University of Berlin as a student of physics. With restless energy PoggendorfF entered upon his chosen field and quickly gave evidences of more than ordinary talent. In 1821 Oken's Isis contained his first paper, “Physico-chemical Investigations upon the Magnetism of the Voltaic Pile.” In this article he describes his discovery of the electromagnetic multiplier or galvanometer, formed by carrying a wire several times round a magnetic needle in a vertical plane; an apparatus which with Schweigger's later improvements, is in universal use. Other articles on closely-allied subjects appeared at this period in Gilbert's Annalen. The abilities of the young physicist were soon recognised, and he received from the Royal Academy of Sciences at Berlin the post of “observator,” which enabled him to continue his scientific investigations. The leading savants of the day—G. Rose, H. Rose, v. Buch, Alexander v. Humboldt, Mitscherlich, and others—gave him also a warm welcome into the circle of their friendship.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
N., T. Johann Christian Poggendorff . Nature 15, 314–315 (1877). https://doi.org/10.1038/015314a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/015314a0