Growing pains

Illness

Fehling had often been ill from childhood on and the workload in Stuttgart took its toll on him. Only shortly after starting work in Stuttgart in 1840, he fell seriously ill and repeatedly coughed up blood in the following years. On a trip to Munich in 1854 he then suffered a dramatic haemorrhage, which compelled him to take several months' break and permanently put a limit to the amount of time he could spend in the laboratory.

From this point onwards Fehling hardly worked in the laboratory himself, and only oversaw his pupils' work. Again and again his health even forced him to stop doing this. A withdrawal from the laboratory and extensive stays in health resorts ensured that he fully recuperated. Eventually, the symptoms completely disappeared and only at the age of 72 Fehling retired from his teaching post at the Polytechnic for health reasons.