Sigmungd Otto Orsenhelm, 1871-1955

Abstract

Otto Rosenheim was born at Wurzburg in Germany on 29 November in the year 1871. He married Mary Christine Tebb, a daughter of William Tebb of Rede Hall, Burstow, in July 1910, and died in his Hampstead home on 7 May 1955, his wife dying in 1953 in her 85th year. Rosenheim chose the University in his home town of Wurzburg in which to study for his degree of Doctor of Philosophy and he worked under Tafel in Emil Fischer’s laboratory. Part of the course he spent in Bonn and then returned to W urzburg to complete his degree. The title of his thesis was ‘On the oxidation of jfr-hydroxyquinoline’. His examiner was Hantzsch who had succeeded Fischer in the chair of chemistry and Rosenheim was the first student to be examined by Hantzsch. The oral examination was a difficult one, but Rosenheim came through with flying colours. A year’s military service in the horse artillery then followed, Rosenheim being excluded from taking officer rank. He then went to Geneva to work with Graebe and there met Liebermann, Pictet and Kehrmann. He was called up for a m onth’s military training in Germany but asked to be excused as he was finishing his course. He had already made up his mind to leave Germany and go to England, where a cousin had already settled, as antisemitism was abhorrent to him. He wrote to W. H. Perkin at Manchester and told him of his desire and Perkin invited him to come to work at the University. Rosenheim left Switzerland for Germany to settle his affairs and he is recorded as having entered for research in chemistry in Manchester University for the session 1894-1895. In 1896 Rosenheim joined Philip Schidrowitz in practice as analytical and consulting chemists at a laboratory in Chancery Lane in London. Dr Schidrowitz writes of Rosenheim at that time as a modest and pleasant young man much interested in his work especially in that of a scientific character; he was a remarkable craftsman, excelling in glass-blowing, photography and in manipulative procedures. His main interest was, however, in biological chemistry. This last sentence aptly summarizes Rosenheim’s outlook and career; he was a born biochemist and a deeply read student and master of the subject throughout his life.