Johann Gottfried Becker (7 October 1639 — 17 May 1711) was a Danish pharmacist. He served as court pharmacist for Frederick III and opened the Elephant Pharmacy on Købmagergade in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in 1670.

Early life and education

Becker was born in Husum, the son of principal Gottfried Becker (1600–1652) by his first wife Elisabeth Ehrenreich (died 1645). He apprenticed as a pharmacist in

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

from 1655 and stayed there for six years. He then went on a study trip to Türol but returned to Denmark in 1664 where he stayed with his brother in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

for about a year. He then went on another study trip to Germany, Italy and Vienna.

Career

In 1668 Becker was called home to Denmark to serve as court pharmacist for Frederick III. He had been recommended for the position by Giuseppe Francesco Borri. On 15 May 1669, he was granted a license to open a new pharmacy in Copenhagen. He opened Elefant Apotek on Købmagergade on 21 March the following year. Becker also served as field pharmacist and accompanied the army to

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

in 1670. Becker was recognized as an eminent chemist and carried out numerous scientific experiments in his laboratory, often in collaboration with Thomas Bartholin, who praises him in several of his publications. He published ''Mithridaticum damocrateum'' in 1671 and ''Desriptio Theriacae coelestis'' in 1704, and contributed to ''Apotekertaksten'' in 1672. In 1708, Becker passed his pharmacy on to his son Gottfried Becker (1681 — 1750). In 1740 he was appointed to assessor in ''Collegium medicum'' and in 1749 to ''kammerassessorer''.

Personal life

Becker was engaged to Sophia Heerfordt, a daughter of royal pharmacist Christopher Heerfordt, but she died in 1670 shortly before the wedding. He married Sophie Iversdatter (Bath) on 11 December 1671 in Copenhagen. She was killed in the fire of Sophie Amalienborg on 19 April 1689. He later married Helene Margrethe Munk (died 26 July 1725) on 1 May 1694. Becker died in 1711 and is buried at St. Peter's Church. His widow married county governor (''amtmand'') Hans Seidelin in 1713.

References

External links

Johann Gottfried Becker

J. G. Becker (born1723
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Johann Gottfried 17th-century Danish pharmacists 18th-century Danish pharmacists Danish chemists 1639 births 1711 deaths