Charles Robert Sanger
Encyclopedia
Charles Robert Sanger was a chemist and professor at Harvard University
whose research centered on detecting and curing the causes of illness caused by chemicals in the home.
(1819-1890) and Elizabeth Sherburne (Thompson) (1819-1897). His father, a Harvard graduate, was a lawyer, editor, judge, first president of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company and United States attorney
for Massachusetts between 1873 and 1886. Sanger’s mother was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
. His great-grandfather, Thomas Thompson, was a U.S. naval captain who was the first to engage in a maritime battle during the Revolutionary War. The family moved to Cambridge
, where Charles attended Cambridge High School
before beginning at Harvard in 1877.
Sanger's three elder brothers attended Harvard before him: John White, class of 1870; William Thompson, 1871, and George Partridge, 1874. In addition, his great-grandfather, Zedekiah Sanger had graduated in 1771, and his grandfather, Ralph Sanger in 1808. In 1857 Harvard awarded Ralph Sanger an honorary doctor of divinity degree
. Sanger's son, Richard, graduated in the Harvard class of 1915.
Charles Robert Sanger earned a bachelor of arts
degree in 1881 and his first master of arts
degree, with honors, in 1882. He studied for a year at universities in Munich
and Bonn
under organic chemist Richard Anchütz
. He returned to Harvard to receive a second master of arts and a doctorate in philosophy
. After obtaining his Ph.D., Sanger became an assistant in the Harvard chemistry department, working with H. B. Hill, who “was his Chemical father.”
in Annapolis, Maryland
. He married Almira (Myra) Starkweather Horswell (1857–1905) the same year. The Sangers had two children while living in Annapolis, Mary in 1888 and Eleanor Sherburne in 1891. Sanger left Annapolis in 1892 to become Eliot Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. In addition he was professor of chemistry at the St. Louis Medical College and the Missouri Dental College, the medical and dental departments of Washington University. A son, Richard Sanger
, was born there in 1894.
In 1891, Sanger published a paper that stemmed from work he had begun with Hill during his doctoral study: “The Quantitative Determination of Arsenic by the Berzelius-Marsh
Process, especially as Applied to the Analysis of Wallpaper and Fabrics.”
Sanger's wife, Almira, died in 1905, and in 1910 he married Eleanor Whitney Davis (1867–1935). She was the daughter of writer Andrew McFarland Davis, and the granddaughter of John Davis
, Massachusetts governor and U.S. senator.
Sanger was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. He was also a member of the American Chemical Society
, the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft, and the Chemical Industry of London.
; in the end it was shown to be an organic disease of the heart."
The student view is reported in the Harvard Crimson
's obituary of Sanger: "Throughout the fall Professor Sanger's health has been such as has brought with the continued strain of his work physical pain that at times approached torture." In its obituary, the Boston Globe said, "The death of Professor Sanger takes from the Harvard faculty one of its most distinguished scholars and teachers."
Sanger died at home in Cambridge on February 25, 1912. He is buried in the family plot at Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
whose research centered on detecting and curing the causes of illness caused by chemicals in the home.
Early life
Sanger was born on August 31, 1860, in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George Partridge SangerGeorge P. Sanger
George Partridge Sanger was an American lawyer, editor, judge, and businessman who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1873 to 1886 and was the first president of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company.-Early life:Sanger was born on November 27, 1819...
(1819-1890) and Elizabeth Sherburne (Thompson) (1819-1897). His father, a Harvard graduate, was a lawyer, editor, judge, first president of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company and United States attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for Massachusetts between 1873 and 1886. Sanger’s mother was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
. His great-grandfather, Thomas Thompson, was a U.S. naval captain who was the first to engage in a maritime battle during the Revolutionary War. The family moved to Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, where Charles attended Cambridge High School
Cambridge High School
- In the United States :*Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Idaho *Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Illinois *Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Nebraska *Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio *Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Wisconsin...
before beginning at Harvard in 1877.
Sanger's three elder brothers attended Harvard before him: John White, class of 1870; William Thompson, 1871, and George Partridge, 1874. In addition, his great-grandfather, Zedekiah Sanger had graduated in 1771, and his grandfather, Ralph Sanger in 1808. In 1857 Harvard awarded Ralph Sanger an honorary doctor of divinity degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
. Sanger's son, Richard, graduated in the Harvard class of 1915.
Charles Robert Sanger earned a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1881 and his first master of arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree, with honors, in 1882. He studied for a year at universities in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
under organic chemist Richard Anchütz
Richard Anschütz
Carl Johann Philipp Noé Richard Anschütz was a German chemist.He received his PhD at the University of Bonn for his work with August Kekulé. He became Kekulé's assistant and, later, his successor as professor at the University of Bonn...
. He returned to Harvard to receive a second master of arts and a doctorate in philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
. After obtaining his Ph.D., Sanger became an assistant in the Harvard chemistry department, working with H. B. Hill, who “was his Chemical father.”
Naval Academy
In 1886, Sanger was appointed as a chemistry professor at the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. He married Almira (Myra) Starkweather Horswell (1857–1905) the same year. The Sangers had two children while living in Annapolis, Mary in 1888 and Eleanor Sherburne in 1891. Sanger left Annapolis in 1892 to become Eliot Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. In addition he was professor of chemistry at the St. Louis Medical College and the Missouri Dental College, the medical and dental departments of Washington University. A son, Richard Sanger
Eleanor Sanger
Eleanor Sanger was a 7-time Emmy-award winning television writer and producer, who was the first woman Network Sports Producer....
, was born there in 1894.
In 1891, Sanger published a paper that stemmed from work he had begun with Hill during his doctoral study: “The Quantitative Determination of Arsenic by the Berzelius-Marsh
Berzelius
Berzelius is a secret society at Yale University named for the Swedish scientist Jöns Jakob Berzelius, considered one of the founding fathers of modern chemistry...
Process, especially as Applied to the Analysis of Wallpaper and Fabrics.”
Sanger is best known for his work on arsenic poisoning of people exposed to arsenic-containing wallpaperWallpaperWallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
, carpets and other house furnishings. Using his improved analytical methods, he showed that arsenic levels found in human tissues and excreta were directly correlated with exposure to arsenic-containing materials. The transfer of arsenic from arsenic to wallpaper to human beings was a further mystery. While removal of the wallpaper resulted in disappearance of toxic symptoms, painting over the wallpaper did not.
The source of toxicity was arsineArsineArsine is the chemical compound with the formula AsH3. This flammable, pyrophoric, and highly toxic gas is one of the simplest compounds of arsenic...
(arsenic hydride), an extremely toxic gas formed on reduction of the nonvolatile aresenates present in wallpaper. He thus confirmed the discovery by the Italian chemist Gosio that mold growing on an arsenic-containing substrate generated an arsenical gas the arsenine-forming fungus could live even on the painted surface, its cells reaching into the underlying wallpaper.“In attacking the subject he determined, with characteristic love, of truth, to place it on a secure experimental foundation by looking for arsenic in the excreta of people suffering from the disorders commonly attributed to poison from wallpapers.”
Harvard
Sanger returned to Harvard in 1899 as an assistant professor in charge of the large Chemistry 3 course developed by H.B. Hill, who by this time was ailing, and was made full professor and director of the chemistry laboratory when Hill died in 1903.As a teacher he was somewhat austere; all his students were expected to live fully up to his own standard, and he always retained some touch of the Naval discipline. In particular research with him was no easy matter — the same accuracy, the same thoroughness, the same limitless patience, that he showed in his own work he demanded of his students, but, as they saw he required nothing from them, which he did not exact from himself in even greater measure, they worked with enthusiasm, and felt for him an affection perhaps even deeper and stronger, than would have been inspired by an easier teacher.
Sanger's wife, Almira, died in 1905, and in 1910 he married Eleanor Whitney Davis (1867–1935). She was the daughter of writer Andrew McFarland Davis, and the granddaughter of John Davis
John Davis (Massachusetts Governor)
John Davis was an American lawyer, businessman and politician.-Early life:John Davis was born in Northborough, Massachusetts...
, Massachusetts governor and U.S. senator.
Sanger was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. He was also a member of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft, and the Chemical Industry of London.
Illness
The last years of Sanger's life were plagued with an undiagnosed illness — thought either to be related to a nervous cause or an unknown heart condition. He did everything possible to alleviate it, including making a trip to Europe in 1910, which was cut off after six months, as his symptoms were getting worse. "At times it had the symptoms and agonizing pain of angina pectoris; at others, it seemed to be an acute nervous dyspepsiaDyspepsia
Dyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating...
; in the end it was shown to be an organic disease of the heart."
The student view is reported in the Harvard Crimson
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
's obituary of Sanger: "Throughout the fall Professor Sanger's health has been such as has brought with the continued strain of his work physical pain that at times approached torture." In its obituary, the Boston Globe said, "The death of Professor Sanger takes from the Harvard faculty one of its most distinguished scholars and teachers."
Sanger died at home in Cambridge on February 25, 1912. He is buried in the family plot at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge.
Publications
Chemical Papers of C. R. Sanger:- "Ueber substituirte Brenzschleimsäuren.' With Henry B. Hill. Ann Chem. Pharm 232, 43 (1885)
- "The Quantitative Determination of Arsenic by the Berzelius-Marsh Process, especially as applied to the analysis of Wall Papers and Fabrics." Proc. American Aca., 26, 24 (1891).
- "The Chemical Analysis of three Guns at the U.S Naval Academy captured in Corea," by Rear Admiral John Rodgers, U.S.N. Proc. U. S. Naval Institute, 19, 53, (1892).
- "On the formation of volatile Compounds of Arsenic from Arsenical Wallpapers." Proc. Amer. Academy 29, (1894)
- "On Chronical Arsenical Poisoning from Wall Papers and Fabrics," Proc Amer Academy 29, 148 (1894)
- Laboratory Experiments in General Chemistry, St. Louis, Published by the author, St. Louis, (1896).
- A Short Course of Experiments in General Chemistry, with notes on Qualitative Analysis. Published by the author, St. Louis, (1896).
Further reading
- Charles H. Fuchsman. “Sanger, Charles Robert”; American National Biography On Line, 2000.