Johann Philipp Becher
Johann Philipp Becher (born December 26, 1752 in Kupferhütte near Dillenburg , † April 26, 1831 in Wiesbaden ) was a German mining and smelting technician and mineralogist .
Life
The son of a smelter enjoyed some lessons in Herborn and in 1771 devoted himself to acquiring the knowledge necessary for miners and smelters through practical work and self-studies , which were completed with a short visit to the Bergakademie in Freiberg in 1774.
After his return from Freiberg , the young Becher richly equipped with knowledge and skills first got a job in Dillenburg and from then on quickly rose to the position of a mountain ridge in 1793 and an upper mountain ridge in 1800. At the time of the French occupation , he was appointed general inspector of the mines and smelting works and in 1816, when an upper mining office was established in Bonn, he was appointed chief miner and chief miner in this college.
Appointed a doctor on the occasion of his 50th anniversary in service, he also received the Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd class. At the end of his life, which was especially dedicated to the service profession, Becher was in retirement in Wiesbaden.
plant
As a result of his lively scientific activity, his Mineralogical Description of the Westerwald appeared in Berlin in 1786 , a very thorough and exhaustive description of the mountainous conditions in this region, an outstanding achievement according to the state of the art at the time. The Mineralogical Description of the Oranien-Nassauische Lande followed as early as 1789 , an appreciable enrichment of the literature due to the abundance of precise information it contains about the occurrence and distribution of minerals .
In addition, Becher expressed himself scientifically in numerous smaller essays, mainly on objects of the metallurgy, for example experiments with charred and uncarburized underground wood in iron smelting , and through his participation in the processing of Nicolai's General German Library .
literature
- Wilhelm von Gümbel : Becher, Johann Philipp . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 203 f.
- Christian Keferstein : History and Literature of Geognosy. An attempt, Lippert, Halle 1840.
Web links
- Literature by and about Johann Philipp Becher in the catalog of the German National Library
This article is based on the article by Wilhelm von Gümbel in the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (see section “Literature”). The copyrights have expired.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Becher, Johann Philipp |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German mining and smelting technician and mineralogist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1752 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kupferhütte near Dillenburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 26, 1831 |
| Place of death | Wiesbaden |