Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig Büchner was born in Darmstadt on 29 March 1824, the third son of the Grand Ducal Physikatsarztes and later Upper Medicinal Raths Dr. Ernst Büchner and a younger brother by his tragedy "Danton's Death" became famous and in the twenty-third year of life as a political refugee and Privatdocent in Zurich late Georg Büchner . After he attended high school in his hometown and on his departure from the same 5th received April 1842 at the age of 18 years in his matriculation certificate, the certificate: " holder of this certificate has Deep penetration through literary-philosophical-poetic Studies awarded and in his style productions an excellent talent expressed ", he referred to the higher trade school to Darmstadt to study there, physics, chemistry, botany and mineralogy, and casting a year later (spring 1843), The State University where he first dedicated general philosophical studies. At the request of his father, he exchanged the same but a year later with the special study of medicine, a time period during which even the newer, through chemistry and the microscope aided and Liebig and Bishop represent the direction of the natural sciences and medicine, the earlier natural philosophy at school Wilbrand to oust Ritgen etc. began. Besides the medical but sat Büchner continued his philosophical and aesthetic studies Hillebrand, Adrian, Carriere and coronet. As a student he participated in the lively student body at that time in the German Reformation emerging aspirations and was among the founders and leaders of the donated pouring in and soon several hundred-member connection Alemannia progress. After Büchner had heard in Strasbourg for six months medical lectures in French, he insisted in early 1848 his department exam in casting "magna cum laude. The stormy summer this year parted for him between the formulation of its Inauguralabhandlung: "Contributions to the doctrine of a Hall'schen excitomotorischen nervous system" (Giessen 1848), as well as preparation for a public disputation and participation in the political movements of that time. From the "Pre-Parliament " in Frankfurt, he wrote reports for appearing in political casting sheet, was also at the many, then worked in and around Giessen held public meetings and in the establishment of the militia. In the autumn of 1848
Büchner left after pressure from his memoir and his best Hung disputation in which he, among others, the sentence defended: "The personal soul is unthinkable without its material substratum" - Casting the university to as Doctor promotus return to his native city. Here he sat together with his younger study and co-thinkers and leaning on the back in Darmstadt, edited by Dr. Otto Luening's published "New German newspaper his political aspirations on an admittedly very uncertain on the ground until the suppression of the uprising in Baden of all political agitation to an end and now made the following difficult time for all those who expressed political eagerly began. The disadvantages, which concerned his friends and comrades escaped Büchner somewhat by its position as a doctor and the fact that he did not take long after behufs further training trip to Würzburg and Vienna, after he was still before the publication of the "Posthumous writings of" his brother Georg (Frankfurt 1850) concerned and the biography of the same as initiation had written it. In Würzburg, Virchow was especially whose time tied up more and more fame germinating him and he determined part of its future direction. After returning from Vienna, Büchner dealt partly with the doctor's practice in his native town and partly at the request and guidance of his father with the drafting of court-medical work and Upper opinions, which in most cases in were included in the "United German journal for the state Pharmacology" by Schneider, Schürmayer etc. (Freiburg) and such applause that the club Baden Doctors for the Promotion of Pharmacology the author in 1855, corresponding to his and appointed an honorary member.
Meanwhile Büchner had accepted a position as assistant physician at the are under the direction of Professor Rapp medical clinic in Tübingen and as Privatdocent there. During the three years which he spent in Tubingen, he kept apart from him as a hospital doctor incumbent shops visited, and received with applause Lectures on Syphilis, Receptirkunde, physical diagnosis, medical encyclopedias and forensic medicine. The latter, whose human side attracted Büchner's inclination was to be major, in which he specifically sought by collecting the recent results of the physiology and pathological anatomy to work. His inaugural lecture as Privatdocent about "The night of the soul in relation to state Pharmacology" was released later in the already mentioned Baden magazine. He also delivered during this period, numerous medical articles in the "German Hospital", the Virchow's "Archiv," Prague "Quarterly", Vierordt's "Archive", etc., as well as some scientific work in magazines popular trend for education. In 1854 was the meeting of German naturalists held in Tübingen, according to general opinion one of the finest and most inspired. Büchner wrote the reports of the same for the "Official Gazette of Württemberg" and the "Allgemeine Zeitung". This work, as well as the reading of Moleschott 's "Circle of Life" gave him the idea for his so-known book, "force and matter. Empirical studies of natural philosophy "in which he made the bold attempt to remodel existing theological and philosophical beliefs on the basis of modern knowledge of nature. Tendency and type of representation won the first 1855 (Meidinger at Frankfurt a. M.) published works of such participation, that after a few weeks a new edition could be organized. For the author himself that the same person unpleasant consequence that he give up his professorship at Tübingen and had had to return home, where his earlier work as a practitioner resumed. The book is now experienced more new requirements, a storm called in the press and a large amount hostile to criticism, as shown in armor rejoinders and Büchner involved in a number literary disputes, which he tried to meet some of the prefaces to the third and fourth edition of "force and matter", then divided by journal article in which he also have other, related items in its direction, the circle of the meeting went.
In the in 1856 founded in Hamburg weekly "century" provided Büchner, among others, the essays: history of the earth, light and life, the concept of God and its relevance to the present, the positivists, not speculative philosophy more, the force and material poetry, The Immortality of the force, Professor Schleiden and theologians, earth and eternity, etc., published in Leipzig in the "Suggestions for art, life and science, "the essays: the cycle of life, earth and eternity, off and on Schopenhauer, On the natural philosophy of man, materialism, idealism and realism, to the spiritual life of the newborn, to Genesis and destiny of man, mind and body, in the "Voices of Time" by Professor Agassiz and the materialist philosophy, the philosophy of the present, the progressive development of the "Free German bishopric" in Frankfurt, will and natural law, a new theory of creation, in the " Gazebo "the popular papers: The age of the human race, the nature of the battlefield or the struggle for existence, the organic scale, or the progress of life. Buechner also had a large, sometimes to meet in the farthest corners of the earth on the occasion of his writing his incoming correspondence, which was often associated with the strangest requests. Translated was "force and matter" so far in the Dutch, Russian and American English. A Danish translation will be organized by G. Nódskou, and French of LF Gamper is on the show.
Note: This French edition is now published by Thomas in Leipzig and has already seen the fourth edition under the title "Force et matière. Populaires d'Études de Philosophie Histoire naturelle etv etc. Quatre. Édition. Et d'après la revue augmentée Neuvieme édition anglaise. Trad. Nouvelle (1872) ", an English translation of SF Collingwood was published 1864 in London, Trübner, an Italian came from Parma in 1867 Stefanoni Luigi G. Brigola in Milan, a English A. Avilés for Alfonso Düran in Madrid, 1868; 1869 GD Malmberg, a Swedish in Stockholm, a Polish L. Mulsky with K. Berezovsky in Lember, 1869, a Hungarian by Louis Lang and colleagues in Pest, 1870, a Romanian of S. Alex. Samourcassi in Bucharest is imminent or has already been published. Also Two German-American editions appeared, one at Steiger in New York, one from Th Thomas in Leipzig.
in 1857 published Büchner Scripture then "nature and spirit or conversations between two friends about the materialism and the real philosophical questions of the day" in which he made the attempt, both in the materialist controversy warring positions opposing identify and to determine a mutual exchange of views, the limits within which human knowledge at the time due to real principles vorzuschreiten can. Upset about the misunderstanding caused thereby and the recognition that the form of conversation was not suitable for the general public, allowed the author to continue the work not so that only the first volume (the macrocosm) is present, but the second, which should deal with the microcosm, is missing.
Note: Nevertheless, a new edition of this first volume has become necessary and 1865 in the G. Grote 'sche (Hamm), now E. Mueller Berkline, "second revised edition" was published.
After the storm somewhat abated, published in the later editions of "force and matter" without further ado, and Buchner used his time again more times to continue his scientific studies. A work on Häminkristalle and their legal-medical significance, which was completed in partnership with Dr. Simon in Darmstadt (now a professor in Heidelberg), found in the Virchow's "Archiv" publication, and carried him, together with continuing legal and medical articles, in November 1860 issue of the silver prize and medal of merit on the part of the Baden state medical association one. Soon after he was named by " Free German Bishopric " in Frankfurt am Main, in the meetings he had held several talks to one of his master and honorary members. These, and some gave the club doctors in Hesse Darmstadt lectures held in conjunction with some in journals published popular science articles for most of the material for the book "Physiological Images" (Leipzig 1861), of which the first (1872, published in second edition) Band on the content: the heart, blood, heat and life, the cell , air and lungs, the chloroform, while the second will include (not yet published): The brain, the nerves, the soul of animals having sex, the age, death. The latest publication Büchner, comprising a selection of that journal articles and even a number of unpublished works, bears the title: "From Nature and Science. Studies, reviews and essays. In non-technical presentation, "etc. (London 1862). For these papers, which to some extent constitute an explanation and complete his work "force and matter" are among other highlight: the organic scale, or the progress of life, materialism and spiritualism, eternity and development, philosophy and experience, On the origin of the soul, Physiological inheritances, instinct and free will, etc.
In January 1860 a married Buechner born Thomas from Frankfurt a. M. A sister of his is Louise Buechner, author of "Women and their profession," "Poet Voices " "From Home and Away," "Castle Wimmis", "Christmas Carol", "Practical attempts to solve the woman question." A younger brother, Professor Alexander Buchner in Caen, earlier in Valenciennes, is the author of "History of English Poetry", the "French literature Pictures," the translation of Byron's "Childe Harold," the novel "The wonder boy of Bristol and Lord Byron's last love."
The later editions of "force and matter" have so received numerous additions and enrichments (while at the same time some Earlier, the consequences might be far prosecuting bodies have ceased to exist) that the work can be seen almost in its present form as a new one. Even more light on the whole direction of the throw, subsequently published as separate treatises Buechner's writing, by the rich, now process the collected materials to various locations out in concise and clear manner. The study of these papers (as well as the "physiological images", the "lectures on Darwin," etc.) would be indispensable for anyone who wants to make a further ruling on the merits. The literature, which "force and substance 'in part directly, has partly caused indirectly, is very large, and the resulting movement produced in the spiritual realm can be called epoch-making. A calm and impartial assessment of the future is of course only be reserved.
From: "Our time, yearbook on Conversation Lexicon, Brockhaus, 1863, 75 Booklet or sheet 10 - 13 of the seventh volume, and page 199 fg;
Here taken from: Ludwig Büchner: Force and Matter.. Twelfth, increased and improved, provided with six prefaces edition. Published by Theodore Thomas, Leipzig 1872nd
© A. Achmann 
