2 BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

Friedrich Rathgen was born in Eckernförde, Germany, on June 2, 1862. He began his formal education at the University of Göttingen in 1881 where he studied the natural sciences. After a brief period of study in Berlin, Rathgen completed his education at the University of Marburg where he received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry in 1886 (Rathgen 1886). The following year Rathgen served as a research assistant to the German chemist, H. H. Landholt, in Berlin where he worked on various aspects of sugar polarization. In 1888 Rathgen was appointed the first Director of the newly formed Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums of Berlin where he remained until his retirement in 1927 (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Friedrich Rathgen conserving a coat of mail