Christopher Glaser

1615 (age 61)

Basel, Switzerland

After graduation Glaser traveled in eastern Europe to observe mining practice. Sometime prior to 1662 he settled in Paris, where he opened an apothecary’s shop in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. Here he prospered, becoming apothecary in ordinary to Louis XIV and to the king’s brother, the duke of Orleans. He also enjoyed the patronage of Nicolas Fouquet, the illfated superintendent of finances. In 1662 he was appointed demonstrator in chemistry at the Jardin du Roi in Paris in succession to Nicolas Le Fèvre. The following year he published his only contribution to the literature of chemistry, Traité de la chymie, a textbook for his course. His most noted pupil in Paris was Nicolas Lemery. The events of Glaser’s later life are likewise elusive. In 1672 he was implicated in the famous Brinvilliers poison case when evidence came to light that the marquise de Brinvilliers and her accomplice Gaudin de Sainte-Croix had used a recipe of Glaser’s to prepare the poison with which they disposed of the marquise’s father and two brothers. At this point Glaser disappeared from public life in France. If the preface by the printer to the 1673 edition of Glaser’s Trailé is to be believed, Glaser died before completing the revisions for this new edition, which received the approbation of the Paris Faculty of Medicine on 15 October 1672. At her interrogation in 1676 the marquise de Brinvilliers alleged that Glaser had indeed prepared poison for Sainte-Croix but that he had been dead for a long time. One source maintains, however, that Glaser returned to Basel, where he died in 1678. In the series of French chemical manuals of the seventeenth century, that of Glaser appeared between the more famous works of Le Fèvre and Lemery. Whereas Le Fèvre’s textbook drew on the Paracelsian-Helmontian tradition for its theoretical content and Lemery attempted a corpuscularian interpretation of the processes he described, Glaser largely eschewed theory and was content with a straightforward, concise recital of chemical operations and recipes. In spite of considerable competition, Glaser’s textbook enjoyed some success. The fourteen editions recorded between 1666 and 1710 include one English and five German versions. The section devoted to mineral remedies is by far the largest. Little is novel in these preparations, although Glaser displays individual refinements of technique. His recipe for a sel antifebrile became uniquely identified with him and was later known as sel polychrestum Glaseri.

Christopher Glaser

Edit Profile

chemist pharmacist scientist

Background

Christopher Glaser was born in 1615 in Basel, Switzerland.

Education

Little is known about Glaser’s early life, but he seems to have been trained as a pharmacist in his native city.

Career

After graduation Glaser traveled in eastern Europe to observe mining practice. Sometime prior to 1662 he settled in Paris, where he opened an apothecary’s shop in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. Here he prospered, becoming apothecary in ordinary to Louis XIV and to the king’s brother, the duke of Orleans. He also enjoyed the patronage of Nicolas Fouquet, the illfated superintendent of finances. In 1662 he was appointed demonstrator in chemistry at the Jardin du Roi in Paris in succession to Nicolas Le Fèvre. The following year he published his only contribution to the literature of chemistry, Traité de la chymie, a textbook for his course. His most noted pupil in Paris was Nicolas Lemery.

The events of Glaser’s later life are likewise elusive. In 1672 he was implicated in the famous Brinvilliers poison case when evidence came to light that the marquise de Brinvilliers and her accomplice Gaudin de Sainte-Croix had used a recipe of Glaser’s to prepare the poison with which they disposed of the marquise’s father and two brothers. At this point Glaser disappeared from public life in France. If the preface by the printer to the 1673 edition of Glaser’s Trailé is to be believed, Glaser died before completing the revisions for this new edition, which received the approbation of the Paris Faculty of Medicine on 15 October 1672. At her interrogation in 1676 the marquise de Brinvilliers alleged that Glaser had indeed prepared poison for Sainte-Croix but that he had been dead for a long time. One source maintains, however, that Glaser returned to Basel, where he died in 1678.

In the series of French chemical manuals of the seventeenth century, that of Glaser appeared between the more famous works of Le Fèvre and Lemery. Whereas Le Fèvre’s textbook drew on the Paracelsian-Helmontian tradition for its theoretical content and Lemery attempted a corpuscularian interpretation of the processes he described, Glaser largely eschewed theory and was content with a straightforward, concise recital of chemical operations and recipes. In spite of considerable competition, Glaser’s textbook enjoyed some success. The fourteen editions recorded between 1666 and 1710 include one English and five German versions. The section devoted to mineral remedies is by far the largest. Little is novel in these preparations, although Glaser displays individual refinements of technique. His recipe for a sel antifebrile became uniquely identified with him and was later known as sel polychrestum Glaseri.

Achievements

Glaser was a prominent chemist. He is best known for his chief work, Traité de la chymie, which went through some ten editions in about twenty-five years. The naturally occurring mixed sulfate of sodium and potassium was named glaserite in his honor.

Works

Traite De La Chymie: Enseignant Par Une Brieve Et Facile Methode Toutes Ses Plus Necessaires Preparations Traite De La Chymie: Enseignant Par Une Brieve Et Facile Methode Toutes Ses Plus Necessaires Preparations

The Complete Chemist: Or a New Treatise of Chemistry The Complete Chemist: Or a New Treatise of Chemistry

book
- The Complete Chemist: Or a New Treatise of Chemistry 1677
- Traite De La Chymie: Enseignant Par Une Brieve Et Facile Methode Toutes Ses Plus Necessaires Preparations 1663

Connections

Friend:: Nicolas Lemery

References

Dictionary of Scientific Biography

Main Photo