John H. Wotiz
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 62901
The Evolution of Modern Chemistry An European travel and study course
There is persistent, and perhaps justified complaint that instruction in the sciences, chemistry in particular, is increasingly focused on purely technical aspects to the neglect of the human element. We felt that one way to infuse a liberalizing humanism into chemistry teaching is to make students and teachers aware of the history of the subject, of the men who created the science, and of the milieu in which they lived and worked. With this in mind we have conceived, conducted and taught a course in the evolution of chemistry in the places where the work was actually done, is on exhibit, or is presently researched by historians. By means of visitations of laboratories and homes, viewing the original apparatus and listening to on-site explanations and commentary of experts, the students received a better and lasting feel for the science as a human endeavor rather than as a manipulation of symbols on the page of a textbook. European travel and study courses sponsored by American universities are not uncommon. Surprisingly, no American university, to our knowledge, has ever conducted a course in Europe in the History of Science, Chemistry in particular. Intrigued and challenged by this omission we have arranged and taught such a course during the Summer of 1971. The Southern Illinois University Division of Continuing Education yearly arranges a charter flight to Europe that coincides in length with the SIU 10-wk Summer Quarter. Our students left St. Louis, Missouri on June 21, 1971 for London, with boarding in New Yorlc possible. The return flight left Paris on August 28. The formal instruction was only of 8 weeks duration, and students were able to travel on their own in Europe for the last two weeks. Since the instructio~alitinerary had to conform with the University charter flight schedule and destination, it was established to a considerable degree with these geographical considerations and limitations in mind. Travel in the British Isles was in two, and on the Continent, in three minibuses. Selected participants assisted in driving and received some compensation for their efforts. The rental of minibuses and arrangements for hotel and mcals was made jointly a i t h a local travel agent. The best and most economic lodging was in the dormitories of European universities where frequently our participants had private rooms and bath. Accommodation in hotels in the major cities suffered from lack of space and relatively high cost. Since the minibuses gave us flexibility, country inns and hotels provided at times avacation atmosphere enjoyed by the students.
We list below the 28 places, and the number of nights spent in them, in the order of our itinerary London 6, Oxford 2, Leeds 1, Laneaster 1, Durham 2, Glasgow 3, Edinburgh 3, York 1, Canterbury 1, Paris 5, Rheims 1, Ghent 2, Louvain 3, Amsterdam 3, Eindhoven 1, Cologne 2, Giessen 1, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 2, Giessen 1, Ludwigshafen 2, Munich 2, Oberamergau 2, Inshruck 1, Zurich 2, Milano 2, and Florence 2.
The course awarded 9 quarter hours credit in Chemistry 496, Chemical Problems, for which students were able to register for graduate or undergraduate credit, or as auditors. The cost was $1250 per person which included round trip air fare from St. Louis, University registration, and the cost of all European travel, hotel, two meals a day for eight weeks, and admissions and lecture charges in connection with the study program. Actually most of the admissions and guide charges in places visited as "tourists" were also absorbed by the course. A subsidy of 15 DM per student for every day spent in West Germany was received from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdicnst (DAAD). During this period the DAAD also provided a professional travel guide and the academic services of Dr. Hans Kangro, a historian in Science at Hamburg University. The eighteen students (participants) came from all parts of the United States. Five were undergraduates, three held the Bachelors degree, six had the Masters degree, and four were PhD holders. The age range was 19-60 years. Four vere teaching in a College or University, two in a Junior College, and five were high school chemistry teachers. The group included six women (one a nun), and two priests. In order to solicit prospective participants a poster describing the program was sent to all chemistry departments in the USA, faculty sponsors of Student Affiliates of the ACS, Members of the ACS divisions of Chemical Education and History of Chemistry, subscribers to ISIS (an international review journal devoted to the history of science and its cultural influence), and to the science departments of selected high schools in Illinois. A one-page interview-news article appeared also in the 1971 January issue of Chemical and Engineering News, and shorter news items were published in THEJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION and in The Science Teacher. One hundred twenty inquiries were received. An European travel and study program can be justified only if it presents the students an opportunity to view something that is not available at home, and exposes them to lectures, interpretations, and commentaries by experts on their home grounds. With this in mind we had to locate the exhibits and the lecturers. The problem was difficult because there were no pubVolume 49, Number 9, September 1972
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lications which list the exhibits of interest to students of history of chemistry. A start was made by writing to known historians of science and to the Curators of the thirteen foreign science museums listed in 1965 by Finn in Technology and Culture.' After briefly explaining what we would like to accomplish, we asked them to describe their chemistry holdings and whether they or members of their staff would be able and willing to lecture in English to our students. We also invited them to list other places and lecturers anywhere in Europe who we may want to contact because of their possible contributions to our study. Frequently one person recommended other individuals who in turn made other suggestions. After two months of such correspondence we knew pretty well what places to visit, and had a good list of potential lecturers. Certain places and names appeared on most of the lists and arrangements were made to fit all this information together. Science Museums
One of the primary considerations in establishing the scientific itinerary was the visits to the 24 science museums in six countries listed below. We were told by Dr. Frank Greenaway, Director of the Chemistry Section of the Science Museum in London, that chemistrv. which deals to a considerable art with ideas, is difficblt to put on display in a forceful and dramatic way. BYthe time we finished our European study and visited all the major and most of the minor science museums we became expert in evaluating the exhibi ts. The recently published Science Travel Guide2 claims to be a wide to technological expositions, museums, landmarks, and science originals.- Although it contains descriptions of the holdings in many places, it does not list "Chemistry" in the subject index, and places of great interest to Chemists such as the Royal Institution in London and Liebig's Laboratory in Giessen are not included in the guide. A more detailed descriptive list of some scientific museums in Western Europe of specific interest to physicists was also recently publi~hed.~ Because of space limitations i t is impossible to name even the "major" holdings in chemistry of the visited science museums. We are therefore listing only the name and location of the museum, and a short commentary based on the opinion of the author, as well as that of the students who voiced criticism in group meetings after each visit, or in term papers at the completion of the course. The museums appear in order of our visitations. Science Museum, London, is a combination of a historical and a teaching museum. I t is visited by large numbers of school children. The museum needs more floor space to present the many collections and exhibits mare effectively. In spite of all the noise, and other limitations, s. visit there is most desirable. Royal Institution, London, is not a museum open to the public. Members of the Royal Institution and their guests, as well as
parties who made prior arrangements may he shown the exhibits of instruments used by the world fitmous scientists who worked in the Institution. In our opinion the visit was one of the most interesting in the entire schedule. Museum of History qf Science, Oxford, has 8. chemistry section in the process of being cataloged and arranged for viewing. University o j Glasgow, Fcrguson Colkction, Glasgow, is devoted mostly t o the contribution of Scotsmen, or scientists who resided in Scotland. The visit was most interesting, mostly due to the enthusiastic and warm Scottish welcome of Professor Andrew Kent of Glasgow University. Royal Scottish Muaeum, Edinburgh was another example of a Large collection of the contributions of Scottish scientists. Conservaloir Nalional des Arts el Metiers, Paris, is supposedly the oldest national science museum. There is a reconstructed Lavoisier laboratory in the entry hall, but chemistry represents only a minor portion of the science collections and exhibits. The museum had few visitors, and it is difficult to visit without expert English speaking guides. The management did not seem to make necessary provisions even by supplying English eatdogs, or English captions at the displays. Palais de la Decouwrle, Paris is a fine teaching facility with many historical experiments demonstrated by a competent staff. Science Museum, and the Kekuld Laboratory, Ghent, devotes most of its displays to Belgian scientists, and to KekulC whospent a few years in Ghent. Prof. Em. Gillis is an expert on this period. Musee Royal des Beaux Arts, Brussels, is an art museum where many original alchemical paintings are permanently displayed. The visit should be with knowledgeable guides who e m explain the meaning and symbolism of the paintings. National Museum of History of Science, Leiden, is relatively small but well stocked with interesting original and reconstructed early chemical laboratory equipment and furnishings. Dr. Gogelein, the Curator, accompanied the participants to the other Dutch museums. Teyler Museum, Haarlem, is one of the few museums housed in building designed for museum purposes. ~ h University c of Utrecht Museum was started to collect the equipment used by the investigators in the University. The Teyler and the Utrecht Museums have hetter and more numerous collections in Physics than in Chemistry. The Amsterdam Historical Pharmaceutical Museum, Amsterdam. is located in a medieval residence in the old auarter of town. This gave the many interesting exhibits of pharmacy, and chemistry an authentic air. Evoluon, Eindhaven, is essentially a collection of modern teaching exhibits erected by the Dutch Philips electronics industry. I t is located in a building shaped like a mushroom. History of chemistry is tangential information to the other exhibits. Liebig's Laboratory, Giessen, is retained in the original building with the original classroom, laboratories, office furnishings, and personal belongings. Unfortunately the caretaker was unfamiliar with the significance of the collection and its original use. The German captions were difficult to reed. Bunsen Institute, Marburg, is apart of the University. Besides the-building there are few interesting items worth seeing. However, the University has a Department of History of Pharmacy which also overflows into chemistry. Mining Museum, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, is worth seeing because i t gives the student a different view and approach to the history of chemistry since metallurgy was a forerunner of chemistry in some aspects. Kassel Museum, Kassel, is a historical museum with a science section but little chemistry. Deutsches Apotheken Museum, Heidelberg, is located in the old Heidelberg Castle in a most picturesque setting. The air of authenticity is everywhere and the displays are very well presented. Deutsches Museum, Munich, is unquestionably the best allaround science and technology teaching museum. The "dc-itvourself" exhibits are well known. However. the chemistry "~ section is only now constructing such exhibits a i d was closed f& alterations. The remodeling should be finished by 1972. From the "behind the scenes" view and explanations we believe that the chemistry exhibits will also be outstanding, and will outshine the relstively few chemical historical collections in the museum. Lmardo da Vinci Science Museum, Milano, is large, but con~tains ,little in chemistry outside of metallurgy. However, the ~
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'FINN,BERNARD S., "The Science Museum Today," in Teehnology and Culture, VI, No. 1, 74 (1965). DECKER, FREDW., "Science Travel Guide, Europe and USA Spectaoulzm," Oregon State University Bookstores, Inc., Corvalis, Oregon, 110 pages, 1971. S A ~J. C., ~Amw. ~J. Phys., ~ 39, ~243 (1971). ~ ~ ~
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models of the drawinw of all the da. Vinci inventions are most interesting. Pavia Univcrsity Museum, Pavis, is really a collection of the equipment, specimens and personal items of the many scient,ists who were on the University staff. Chemistry is represented mostly as a part of the Medicine and Physics collections. Science Muscitm, Florence, was reconstructed after the recent floods. The collections and exhibits seem to be "different" from the ones on display in the other science museums visited and are worth seeing.
The above list should also include museums that we did not visit but contain some holdings of interest to chemists: Museum of History of Science in Geneva and Museum of Pharmay in Basel, Switzerland; The Cu~.ie Museum at the University of Paris and the Pasteur Institute: Danish Technical Museum in Copcnhagen; The Beilstein Institute in Frankfurt. The Technical Museum and the Berzelius Museum in Stockholm should be of particular i n h e s t . The former contains extensive holdings from Nobel's laboratories in Sweden and Italy. The latter is located in the Swedish Academy of Sciences, and contains most of Berzelins' belongings and equipment. General Interest Tours
Arrangements were also made to visit places of general interest to scicnt,ists. I n the below listed organizations, Universities, and industrial enterprises we viewed items not usually on display to the public, and we listencd to explanations of t,hcir employees who related their organizations and institutions to our intcrest in t,he history of science, chemistry in particular. I n t.he order of visitat,ion we were shoxn through the following places: Imperial Collegc Archives, University Collcgc, and the Chemical Socicty, Library in London; Oxford University; Coal Mine, Durham; Spirit Factory, Edinburgh; Champagne Factory, Rheims; Louvain Univcrsity; Bayer A.G., Levrrkuscn; Mincrals Minc, Andrcasbcrg; BASF, Lndwigsbafen; Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of i\lunich; Brcwery, Munich; and the Leaning Tower, Pisa. Special Lectures
The great success of the course was due to a considerable degree to tlic many special lectures that XI-earranged and provided honoraria for in most instances. The topics ranged over a wide area. I n thc cases whcrc lccturers in different countrics happened to discuss thc same scientists or period, it was surprising and interesting to note the deep national pride and perhaps prejudice of thc respective lectures. Thc special lccturcs listed below are in the order of presentation. It was impossiblc to make arrangements for presentations of t,opics in historical order. It was the function of thc author to present brief introductory talks and/or to ask t,he lecturers at the end of their presentations "loaded" quest,ions so as to provide the stndents some cohesion and continuity. hlr. J. T. Van Riemsdijk, Assistant Keeper and Education Officer, The Science Museum, London, "The Work of the Museum Lecture Services." Ilr. A. J. E. Welch, Professor, Assistant Director of the Chemistty Ilepartmenl, Imperial Collcge of Science & Technology, London, "Chemist1.y ~t Imperial College Then & Now." Mu. Pinglee, Archivist, Imporid College of Science & Technology, London, "The I. C. Archives."
Dr. A. G. Davies, Professor, University College, London, "The History of the Chem. I k p t . a t the Univeaity College." Mr. R. G. Griffin, Librarian, The Chemical Society, London, "The Role of the Chemical Society in the Development of Chemistry." Mr. Jeremy Weston, Librarian, ltoyal Institution, London, "The History of the lloyal Institution." Ilr. Frank Greenaway, Director, Chemistry Section, Science Museum, London, "The Chemistry Holdings in the Science Museum." Dr. M. P. Crossland, Reader in History of Science, Department of Philosonhu. .,Univevsil.v of Leeds. Leeds. (1 i "Joseoh Priestlev and Pneumnlie Chemistry," C2) " ~ o h nijalton anh ChemiGl Atomism," (3) "Philosophy of Science." Dr. nobert Fox, Lecturor in History of Science, Ilept. of History, Univ. of Lancnster, Lancaster, "ltcpresenlation of Nature." I h . C. A. Russell, Department of History of Science, The Open University "Frankland and his Role in tho 1)iscavery of Valcney" (Lecture presented in Lancaster). Dr. Ilavid ill. Knight, Department of Philosophy, University of Durham, "Sir Humphrey Davy." Ilr. Andrew Kent. Professor. Chemistrv Deonrtment. The
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Dr. 11. G. N. Andemon, Asst. Keeper, The ltoyal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh "The Chem. Holdings in the R.S.M." Twelve lectures in the "Historied Conference on Science and tho Arts" Edinburgh. Ilr. I). C. Jaeoues. Professor. Director of CNRS. Collcee de France, ~ s r i s ' " ~ hCont,rib
