During the first half of the 19th century chemistry was dominated by the towering figure of a chemist from Sweden. Although almost self-taught in chemistry, Jons Jacob Berzelius (1779-1848) was Sweden's greatest chemist and the ultimate authority during this crucial time. Few people have exerted so deep an influence over an entire discipline for so long a period.

However, his life and career provide us with a cautionary tale. He began as an avant-garde scientist who championed new ideas and helped make them part of mainstream science, but in his later years he became ...

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