Friedrich Wilhelm Rathgen (2 June 1862 – 19 November 1942) was a German chemist and a founder of the field of conservation science.
The following year Rathgen served as a research assistant to the German chemist, H. H. Landholt, in Berlin, where he worked on various aspects of sugar polarization.
This was an event important enough for Chris Caple (2000 P.53) [2] to write: "It was, perhaps, only in 1888 that conservation as a profession discipline can truly be seen to have started".
This was the first comprehensive treatment of the subject; it drew upon his ten years of experience and practical work in the field".
The laboratory carries out investigations on a broad variety of materials within the museum environment and conducts research on the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites.