Johann Christian Poggendorff

Lore & Background

Poggendorff apprenticed to an apothecary in Hamburg and at age twenty-two began working as an apothecary's assistant in Itzehoe. Ambition and a strong inclination toward a scientific career led him to move to Berlin. He entered Humboldt University in 1820, and in 1823 he was appointed meteorological observer to the Academy of Sciences. Even at this early period he had conceived the idea of founding a physical and chemical scientific journal, and the realization of this plan was hastened by the sudden death of Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert, the editor of Gilbert's Annalen der Physik, in 1824. Poggendorff immediately put himself in communication with the publisher, Barth of Leipzig, and became editor of Annalen der Physik und Chemie, which was to be a continuation of Gilbert's Annalen on a somewhat extended plan. He edited the journal for 52 years, until 1876.

He was noted for his extensive scientific knowledge, encompassing both contemporary and historical scholarship, as well as for his emphasis on empirical evidence over speculative theory. His organizational approach to scientific work and editorial practice contributed to the development of rigorous experimental science. Under his editorship, Annalen der Physik und Chemie (commonly known as Poggendorff's Annalen) became one of the leading scientific journals in Europe. In the course of his fifty-two years editorship, Poggendorff made many acquaintances in the scientific community. This knowledge, combined with what he had gathered by historical reading, was published in his Biographisch-literarisches Handworterbuch zur Geschichte der exacten Wissenschaften, containing details of the lives and scientific labors of mathematicians, astronomers, physicists, and chemists. The first two volumes were published in 1863; after his death a third volume appeared in 1898, covering the period 1858–1883, and a fourth in 1904, coming down to the beginning of the 20th century.

His literary and scientific reputation brought him several titles. In 1830 he was made royal professor, in 1838 Hon. Ph.D. and extraordinary professor in the University of Berlin, and in 1839 member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. In 1845, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Many offers of ordinary professorships were made to him, but he declined them all, devoting himself to his duties as editor of the Annalen and to the pursuit of his scientific researches. He died in Berlin on 24 January 1877. His daughter Marie Poggendorff married Valentin Rose in 1872.

Reader's Guide

Poggendorff's significance lies primarily in his role as editor of Annalen der Physik und Chemie for 52 years, which helped establish rigorous experimental standards in physics and chemistry. His emphasis on empirical evidence over speculative theory shaped the journal's reputation and influenced the development of modern scientific practice. His invention of the mirror galvanometer in 1826 provided a sensitive method for detecting electric currents, while his 1841 description of the potentiometer enabled measurement of electrical potentials without drawing current. The electrostatic motor he developed is analogous to Wilhelm Holtz's electrostatic machine. His Biographisch-literarisches Handworterbuch zur Geschichte der exacten Wissenschaften became a standard biographical reference for mathematicians, astronomers, physicists, and chemists, with later volumes extending into the early 20th century. The Poggendorff Illusion, an optical illusion involving the brain's perception of diagonal lines and horizontal and vertical edges, was discovered by him in a drawing by Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner in 1860. Despite offers of ordinary professorships, he declined them to focus on editorial work and research. His legacy includes both instrumental contributions to electrical measurement and a lasting impact on scientific publishing and historiography.

Did You Know?

• Poggendorff improved the mirror galvanometer, a device for detecting electric current originally invented by Johann Schweigger in 1820.