cine and natural history, and had written two first-prize academic essays in
one year, the first concerning the circulatory systems of ten-legged crusta-
ceans, the other reporting on the results of the most recent vivisection re-
search.Thiswasin1824,whenPeterWilhelmwasonlytwenty-threeyears
old. The following year he journeyed to Brazil, where he spent three years
researching meteorological, biological, and zoological topics for the Scien-
tific Society and regularly sent home collections of exotic insects and un-
usualbirdsfortheRoyalMuseumofNaturalHistory.ByApril1829,when
the globe-trotter finally found himself once again within the ramparts of
Copenhagen, he had not only garnered an enormous experience of the
world, but also amassed a unique assemblage of natural history research
material, which he described in a series of essays that ran the gamut from
the biology of the Brazilian giant ant to the early developmental stages of
the pectinibranchian snails to the physiology of the intestinal tracts of the
Euphonesgenus of finches.
An event that occurred in the interval between the two weddings—Ni-
coline Christine’s in 1824 and Petrea Severine’s in 1828—served as a dra-
matic reminder of the impermanence of all things. Peter Christian noted
the details of the event in his diary: “April 2, 1826, fire broke out in the
Kalischhouse—ourswasgreatlydamaged.”Afirehadbrokenoutthatnight
atachemicallaboratory,partofapharmacyinFrederiksberggadethatshared
a courtyard with the Kierkegaard home. The alarm sounded at 1:15 in the
morning but by the time the fire company arrived the pharmacy was com-
pletelyengulfed inflames, andpeoplewere afraidit wasthestart ofanother
hugefireinthecity.Theresidentsoftheneighboringhouses,includingthe
Kierkegaards, had fled into the streets half-naked while curious onlookers
flockedtothescene—indeed,evenKingFrederickVIhimselffeltobligated
to rise fro mhis royal bed and witness the events. The city got off with
nothingmorethanabadscare,thoughtheKierkegaardhousewasdamaged
and some of Peter Christian’s papers were lost. There is no record of how
the twelve-year-old Søren Aabye reacted, but it is possible that this was the
source of his subsequent and well-known pyrophobia.
A couple of weeks after the fire Peter Christian turned in a splendid
performance at the university examinations for his theological degree,
which was all the more remarkable because his total period of study had
been a mere three and one-half years. In his letter of recommendation for
PeterChristian,ProfessorJensMøllercalledhim“oneofthemostexcellent
minds at our university,” and indeed, the professor averred, he had never
beforeencounteredayoungmanwhocould“debatewithsuchperspicacity,
presence of mind, and elegance, as he has done on so many occasions.”
Peter Christian spent a well-earned summer vacation in Vesterborg on the
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