The situation in European electrochemistry towards the end of 19th century is briefly outlined: In several research establishments, there were studied independently of each other the potential of the dropping mercury electrode on one hand and the polarization curves with solid electrodes on the other. Only after the dropping electrode was utilised not as an electrochemical problem but as a tool for precise scientific measurements, as Kucera did in his research on electrocapillarity, the way was paved for polarography.