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Emil Hermann Fischer, born October 9, 1852, in Euskirchen, Germany, received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1902 for his elucidations of the structure of sugars and the synthesis of purines. His father, a very successful lumber merchant, intended Emil to join the family business upon completion of his secondary school education. Young Fischer showed exceptional abilities as a student in the natural sciences, particularly in physics. In 1859 he dutifully entered his father's business, but showed little aptitude for commerce....
