![]() ![]() After his marriage, Christian Accum opened his own soap-making shop in Bückeburg at his in-law's home. In addition to choosing the name "Christian," Accum's father chose to emphasize his newly embraced religion by adopting the surname Accum, which derives from the Hebrew word "Akum," meaning "not-Jewish." It is not known whether he did this on his own initiative or because of pressure from his fiancee's family. Īt the time of his conversion baptism, the senior Accum changed his name from Markus Herz to Christian Accum. Judith was the daughter of a hat maker, who lived in the French community in Berlin, and the granddaughter of a refugee who suffered under the Huguenot persecutions in France. Soon after, his father married Judith Berth dit La Motte in Bückeburg. In 1755, Accum's father converted from Judaism to Protestant Christianity. His father was from Vlotho, and had been in an infantry regiment in the service of Count Wilhelm von Schaumburg-Lippe. Black and white reproduction of an oil painting by Accum's brother-in-law Wilhelm Strack.Īccum was born in Bückeburg, Schaumburg-Lippe, about 50 km (31 mi) west of Hanover. Life and work Youth and education įriedrich Accum in his youth. He lived out the rest of his life as a teacher at an industrial institution in Berlin. Accum left England after a lawsuit was brought against him. However, it threatened established practices within the food processing industry, earning him many enemies among the London food manufacturers. His book, controversial at the time, found a wide audience and sold well. Accum was the first person to tackle the subject and to reach a wide audience through his activities. This work marked the beginning of an awareness of need for food safety oversight. In 1820, Accum published Treatise on Adulteration of Food, in which he denounced the use of chemical additives to food. ![]() ![]() Many scientific contributions were brought forth through his writings, which were influential in the popularization of chemistry during this era. They were executed in a style that made them quite accessible. The majority of Accum's publications were written in English. ![]() Accum was instrumental in the conception and design of this extremely successful gasworks. The company was charged with founding the first gasworks in London to supply gas lighting to both private and public areas. After a time of close working association with this company, he became a member of its board of directors in 1812. At the request of the Gas Light and Coke Company, he carried out many experiments in this novel field of inquiry. Intrigued by the work of Frederick Winsor, who had been championing the introduction of gas lighting in London, Accum too, became fascinated by this innovation. Accum, himself, gave fee-based public lectures in practical chemistry and collaborated with research efforts at numerous other institutes of science. His business manufactured and sold a variety of chemicals and laboratory equipment. Following an apprenticeship as an apothecary, he opened his own commercial laboratory enterprise. Friedrich Christian Accum or Frederick Accum (29 March 1769 – 28 June 1838) was a German chemist, whose most important achievements included advances in the field of gas lighting, efforts to keep processed foods free from dangerous additives, and the promotion of interest in the science of chemistry to the general populace. ![]()
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