Heinrich Emanuel Merck (15 September 1794 – 14 February 1855) was an
apothecary
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...
whose descendants are the founders of
Merck and Company and
Merck KGaA
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the ma ...
.
Biography
He was a direct descendant of company founder
Friedrich Jacob Merck, who had purchased the Engel-Apotheke (Angel Pharmacy) in
Darmstadt in 1668. The pharmacy is still part of
Merck KGaA
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the ma ...
, but the original building was destroyed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in the bombing campaigns, and therefore it is a new construction.
Merck studied pharmacy in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
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, timezone_DST ...
. He then worked at his father's Engel-Apotheke. In 1816 he took over management. In addition to this he was occupied with research on the chemical constitution of herbal natural material.
He isolated
alkaloids and prepared them in a pure state. In 1827, Merck sold all the known alkaloids to other pharmacists, chemists and physicians. From 1838 until 1841 he ran a
candle
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candle ...
factory and became a member of the town council of
Darmstadt in 1828. As a court consultant he was working on the homicide case of the Mistress of
Görlitz in 1850. At the time of Merck's death, ca. 23—50 workers were employed at his chemical-pharmaceutical factory. His three sons took over his business.
Engel-Apotheke
*Friedrich Jacob Merck in the 17th century
*Heinrich Emanuel Merck (1794–1855) from 1816–1855
See also
*
Merck family
The Merck family is a German family of industrialists and bankers, known for establishing the world's oldest pharmaceutical company Merck, its American former subsidiary Merck & Co. (MSD), which is now an independent company, as well as the H ...
*
Emanuel Merck Lectureship
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merck, Heinrich Emanuel
Merck Group people
1794 births
1855 deaths
German pharmacists
Scientists from Darmstadt
19th-century German chemists