Justus von Liebig. Coloured Portrait of Baron Justus von Liebig (1803-1873), German organic chemist. After receiving his doctorate, he became an assistant to the French chemist Gay-Lussac. In 1825 he became professor at Giessen University, Germany, where he founded the first chemical research laboratory for students. It was Liebig that first recognised that carbohydrates and fat are the fuel" of the animal body and that body heat is the result of the combustion of these. He also suggested using potassium and phosphorus as fertilizers. He was made baron in 1845 and professor of chemistry at Munich University, Germany, in 1852. Engraving by C. Cook."