From Giessen to Munich to the Readers of Anesthesiology: Justus von Liebig

Professor Justus von Liebig gained fame at Giessen as a chemistry educator, as a codiscoverer of chloroform, and as an editor of the journal Annalen der Chemie. For the final 20 years of his life, until 1873, he taught at the University of Munich (above). There at Munich, his pioneering laboratory work and lecturing attracted royal spectators. During one chemical demonstration, a flask exploded, wounding not only Liebig himself but also the King and Queen of Bavaria. Today, roughly 70% of the physician-readers of Anesthesiology can, with minor effort, trace their academic pedigree from their respective organic chemistry professors back through several generations of academicians to the celebrated Professor Justus von Liebig. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.)