Abstract:
A lecture in Latin about the history of chemistry is published for the first time. The original manuscript is kept at the Manuscript Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LMAVB RS, F 9-1495). It includes 11 pages, also notes in the Polish language. A short biography of Jędrzej Śniadecki (*1768–†1838) helps to enlighten the context of the lecture. Jędrzej Śniadecki, was a prominent professor of chemistry at the University of Vilnius, and in a short time he brought chemistry to prominence as one of the most popular subjects at the university. He conducted lectures with great enthusiasm, which drove the audience into “chemomania”. During this time the largest hall in the university was designed and equipped as a laboratory which also promoted the chemistry lectures. He published a manual of chemistry Początki chemii (1800). The book comprised a short outline of chemistry, and presented scientific principles according to the highest current standards. The accomplishments of the chemical scientific school that he created could hardly be overestimated; his pupils, spread all around the world, were successfully implementing the working methods for the advancement of chemistry. The lecture deals with the history of chemistry, starting from Biblical times, and taking the audience through the centuries until the present. Names of famous alchemists and their works are enumerated; also a critical view on the mercenary activities of gold-greedy alchemists is presented. Besides the historical material a discussion on the importance and use of science is presented, followed by the analysis of chemical terminology. At the end of the lecture we read lines which show Sniadecki’s respect to the audience, and predict his future popularity among students: “Be the judges of these lectures, and let joy be your companion”. (p. 11). The manuscript was translated, transliterated and annotated by Irena Katilienė.
