Drawing Attention with Chemistry Cartoons - ACS Publications

Chemistry for Everyone

Drawing Attention with Chemistry Cartoons Herbert W. Roesky Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Universität Göttingen, Tammannstrasse 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany Dietmar Kennepohl* Centre for Science, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, T9S 3A3; *[email protected]

Did you look at the cartoons before reading the text? If you did, you might realize the power a cartoon has to draw your attention. Cartoons are valuable aids that inspire interest and foster genuine student engagement in the classroom. A simple image can often change the tone and the dynamics of a group by injecting a little humor. It can help to introduce new ideas, concepts, and attitudes. In some cases, it can even make an important point more directly and painlessly than assigned readings or lectures ever could. This idea is not new to chemical educators or to chemists in general who use cartoons to make their presentations and Web sites livelier and easier to appreciate. Cartoons are also a part of a much larger effort to introduce unusual and amusing activities to enhance learning and student participation. These innovative avenues to learning chemistry have included plays, poems, puzzles, games, songs, proverbs, famous quotations, biographies, and even literary references. A number of articles in this Journal have explored their advantages and how they can be applied effectively in teaching (1–7). How Cartoons Have Been Used Cartoons have been used for different reasons by educators including enhancing motivation (8), developing good laboratory technique (9), improving writing and thinking skills (10), teaching laboratory safety (11), and augmenting reading skills (12, 13). One interesting variation on this theme has been the introduction of new topics in the classroom using comics (14–16). Although entertaining in their own right and certainly

an excellent stimulus to initiate student discussion, these comics tend not to be humorous. Another important type of cartoon that has also been used effectively to promote engagement and learning is the concept cartoon. These cartoons are also not necessarily humorous, but are cartoon-style drawings presenting characters with differing viewpoints around a particular situation (17–20). Their use has become more common especially among science disciplines. However, the focus of this article will be largely on what has become to be known as “the single panel gag cartoon”. History and Influence of the Cartoon Although humorous drawings have existed since the days of cave paintings and petroglyphs, and caricatures were certainly prevalent in the ancient world (21), the cartoon as we have come to know today really developed in the early 18th century. As a child of caricature, the cartoon eventually evolved into a more complex art form communicating through a combination of texts, symbols, and visual analogies while not necessarily maintaining the visual exaggeration and distortion associated with caricatures (22). Caricatures in chemistry are not the main focus of this work and have already been well described by others (23–25). However, a good example of the old caricature format is an engraving by James Gillray in 1802 entitled "Scientific Researches!—New Discoveries in Pneumaticks!" or "Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air" (Figure 1). The illustration is a parody of the recently established Royal Institu-

Figure 1. "Scientific Researches!—New Discoveries in Pneumaticks!" by James Gillray (1802) courtesy of the Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, University of Pennsylvania Library.

© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 85 No. 10 October 2008 • Journal of Chemical Education

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Figure 2. Friedrich Wöhler caricature with permission from William B. Jensen.

Figure 3. August Kekulé cartoon with permission from Nick Kim.2

tion of Great Britain and features several notable members of the Institution including Sir Humphry Davy operating the bellows. This is a kinder example of this drawing style. The more editorial illustrations, especially those involving politics, were sometimes very unkind if not downright vicious in their portrayals. Contrast this with more contemporary examples of the caricature, which start to gravitate toward the style of the gag cartoon. Figure 2 depicts a modern caricature of Friedrich Wöhler who was a chemistry professor in Göttingen�� . It was created by William B. Jensen who is a chemist turned historian. It is entitled “In the beginning there was a dog kidney”. This is one of a series of caricatures of famous chemists produced by Jensen in the 1970s.1 The title and the imagery in the Wöhler depiction refers to a remark he made in a letter to Berzelius describing his famous synthesis of urea in which he states that he could now

duplicate the chemistry of a dog’s kidney in a test tube. Since this synthesis was later widely interpreted as undercutting the theory of organic vitalism as one of the supports of religious fundamentalism, Wöhler is portrayed as a god-like figure sitting astride the universe suggesting that chemistry, rather than traditional theology, holds the key to explaining the origins of things (26). The use of hexagonal shapes in the Kekulé cartoon (Figure 3) is also an obvious and effective application of representative imagery, whereas the symbolism in the Liebig cartoon (Figure 4) is cleverly coupled with a German word play on Liebig’s own name. Unlike the classic caricatures of past centuries, which relied heavily on physical distortions as the focus of humor, the tongue-in-cheek use of symbolism in these modern caricatures is more of a snapshot of chemistry history accompanied by a subtle smile and wink.

Figure 4. Cartoon of Liebig and his five-bulbed apparatus with permission of Rolf Mank de Vries. “Beliebiges” means “all kinds of things”.3

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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 85 No. 10 October 2008 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education


Over the years, chemistry images would sometimes appear in satirical humor magazines of the day such as Punch (Britain), Fliegende Blätter (Germany), or Le Rire (France). However, this was usually when it was of interest in the daily lives of the urban middle class reader, which of course meant technology and invention as opposed to pure science. People were curious about the latest medical treatments and food adulterers, or contraptions such as railroads, ballooning, electric telegraphs, and steamships. Chemistry would make the odd appearance when there was a more applied connection such as explosives, industrial pollution, and pharmaceuticals (27). On occasion individual chemists were also featured, but that was often driven by underlying sensational politics or scandal. For example, the image of Michael Faraday giving his business card to the River Thames in Figure 5 appeared in an 1855 issue of Punch magazine with the added comment, “And we hope the Dirty Fellow will consult the learned Professor”. The main theme is not chemistry itself, but a strong comment on the pollution of the Thames. Nowadays, there are a number of different categories of cartoons including illustrative cartoons, animated cartoons, comic strips (comics), gag cartoons, and editorial cartoons. However, it was the editorial cartoon with its sharp commentary on social and political situations that popularized the art in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also important to note that in those days caricatures and cartoons were firmly in the domain of popular press and certainly not a part of anything to do with serious research or even education in chemistry. In the early 20th century this started to change. In addition to the established caricatures and political cartoons, a number of other genres such as the gag cartoon, comic strips, and animation were gaining popularity. More importantly, chemists were starting to use cartoons (especially the gag cartoon) in presentations, teaching, and within their own professional communities. Over the years, visual stereotypes of chemistry have been used within the different categories of cartoons to make humorous points and provoke readers. This gives us a historical glimpse of how chemistry was generally viewed and brings up issues around the public image and understanding of chemistry. That imagery is influenced by societal attitudes and perceptions of the day. However, the images created in turn also strongly reinforce those perceptions. There are both negative and positive stereotypes that can be identified (25, 28), and those can certainly change over time (29). In at least one case, this has been intentionally done to portray chemistry in a positive light (30). There has been considerable discussion in the literature on the public image of chemistry. So it is suffice to say here that in using cartoons for presentations or in the classroom, one really should be aware of all the messages being conveyed. Modern Chemistry Cartoons The types of chemistry cartoons that can be found today vary depending on whether they were initially created for public consumption or for the chemistry community itself. Although there are exceptions, the public chemistry cartoons tend to have more negative stereotypes with themes such as adulterating food or the environment, producing explosions, mixing alcoholic drinks, and of course the always fashionable mad scientist. One popular variation of the public chemistry cartoon seems to be chemistry kits for kids, which can depict everything from experiments gone seriously awry to little Johnny

Figure 5. Faraday giving his card to Father Thames (1855) courtesy of the Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, University of Pennsylvania Library.

as genius. These cartoons really deal with a surface understanding and perception of chemistry. On the other hand, cartoons aimed or even created within the chemistry community itself deal with themes very familiar to chemists and include life in the laboratory, surprising reactions, history of chemistry, pursuing grant money, coping with administration, anthropomorphizing molecules and glassware, poking fun at nomenclature, teaching chemistry, and even dealing with chemistry stereotypes. This is certainly not meant to be an exhaustive list and illustrations of every type of chemistry cartoon cannot be provided. However, we will share and discuss a few notable examples. We have already seen some modern cartoons connected with history of chemistry in Figures 2–4. However, chemistry history cartoons are not limited to depictions of famous chemists. Often they provide a humorous look at important inventions and discoveries. They do so, not necessarily with an accurate historical perspective, but with their own inventive (or invented) twist. For example, a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon depicts two prehistoric cavemen. One is drawing a homoatomic ring structure of “De” units and the other is pointing to a per iodic table (Periodik Table), which only contains one element— Dert (De). The caption merely says, “Early chemists describe the first dirt molecule.” Anthropomorphizing molecules or laboratory equipment


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Figure 6. Glassware humor with permission from Uwe Oehler image courtesy of Chem 13 News.4

has also been a great source of humor. The creation of glassware characters shown in Figure 6 or the ligand substitution gag shown in Figure 7 are just two samples of this type of cartoon done by artists who also happen to be professional chemists. This is not surprising as this type of humor is generally not understood or appreciated by the general public, but remains a big hit with chemists. Teaching and learning have long been an excellent springboard for humor and chemistry is no exception. A Jean-Jacques Sempé cartoon depicted in three scenes shows a professor arriving for lecture with laboratory coat and test tubes: scene 1–students eagerly await his arrival in the classroom; scene 2–the professor, with his back to the students, mixes together solutions for his chemistry demonstration; and scene 3–with lit match in hand the professor looks over his shoulder to the class. Everyone has moved to the back of the class and the professor is left with a frown on his face. Although chemistry is involved, it is the educational setting that opens another avenue of appreciation. Given that people find humor in things they are familiar with or situations they could see themselves in, cartoons dealing with learning chemistry would arguably make more of a connection with the new chemistry student than many of the other cartoon examples given herein. As seen in Figure 8, the combination of teaching and chemistry offers all sorts of possibilities to poke fun at a variety of stereotypes and therefore also makes it humorous for more people. In this case, college football players, arrow pushing organic chemists, and the teaching staff all get a little ribbing. Another interesting variation of cartoons that is well known within the chemistry community is the drawing and naming of odd or fictional molecules. For example, a circle of Fe2+ atoms might depict a ferrous wheel (Ferris wheel) or a benzene ring with Ph.D. at the 1 and 4 positions would depict a para-docs (paradox). Many of these started as informal jokes and chalk drawings in the classroom or laboratory. They have made the rounds for many years and are now also starting to appear in cartoons. Humor, Motivation, and Learning

Figure 7. Molecule humor with permission from Nick Kim.2

Figure 8. Chemistry humor on campus.5

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Many first-rate teachers instinctively incorporate a touch of humor into their lectures without explicitly realizing the exact benefits. Over the years, there have been numerous studies examining and attempting to define the role of humor with respect to both student motivation and learning. At the university level, humor has been positively attributed to various aspects of learning including increasing the rate of learning, improving problem solving skills, increasing retention, reducing nervousness (especially in test situations), and increasing perceptions of teacher credibility (31–34). Humor, when used appropriately (35), is widely accepted and has become a regular part of an educator’s arsenal. It is especially effective for “dread courses”, including chemistry (36). The perceived importance of humor by educators is reflected in one recent comment by a group of scholars studying the connection between humor and learning. They noted that a major challenge in their research was actually finding teachers willing to be part of the control group for a term and not incorporate any humor in their instruction (31). Still, there is a small note of caution buried within all the literature that front-line teachers should be aware of. Most studies in this area certainly agree that humor improves a wide



Figure 9. Helium gag with permission from The Chemist.6

range of learning attributes including the students’ perception of the teacher, interest in the subject, and student motivation. However, the claim of improved retention (especially long-term retention) is somewhat debatable. There is evidence that retention in adults is optimized when the humor is more related to the instructional content, whereas humor unrelated to content seems to be more effective with young children (33). So what does this translate to in a post-secondary classroom? Quite simply, random humor interspersed with a classroom lecture is better than no humor at all, but directed tendentious humor linked to content is even better. Every moment of wit becomes a chance for the educator to not only focus attention and entertain, but also to positively support student learning. Summary The art of caricatures from the 18th and 19th centuries has evolved into numerous categories of modern cartoons, which includes the popular single panel gag cartoon. The portrayal of chemists and chemistry in those caricatures and cartoons has been a reflection of how they were viewed over time. Conversely, we know that those images can help to form and reinforce perceptions about chemistry. Indeed, the nature of the modern chemistry cartoon varies depending on whether it is aimed at the chemistry community or the general public. More importantly, there is an established link between humor and learning and is seen by many educators as an opportunity to enhance learning. The single panel gag cartoon is an excellent vehicle to communicate ideas and connect with students using humor. Cartoons have the power to both draw attention quickly and come to the point. The art, of course, is in getting your message across once you have their attention. We leave you with one last cartoon example, which comes under the heading of life in the laboratory and surprising reactions (Figure 9). Levity can be very uplifting!

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Herbert Wöske and Rachel Conroy for their assistance and the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung for their support of DK. Notes 1. A sampling of these caricatures by William B. Jensen can be found online at http://www.measurenet-tech.com/notablechemists.html (accessed Jun 2008). 2. This is part of a series of chemistry-related cartoons by Nick Kim that can be found online at http://www.nearingzero.net/sci_chemistry.html (accessed Jun 2008). 3. This cartoon by Rolf Mank de Vries appeared in the Liebigschule Giessen Festschrift zur 150-Jahr-Feier (1987), edited by Erwin Glaum. The five-bulbed Liebig apparatus was used to determine carbon content by trapping carbon dioxide in a caustic potash solution from the off gases of a burned sample. 4. Image as it appeared in Chem 13 News 1980, Feb (111), 7. 5. Cartoon by DK. 6. Image as it appeared in Chemistry 1973, Apr, 31.

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Supporting JCE Online Material

http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Oct/abs1355.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF) with links to cited JCE articles

JCE Concept Connections: Now I Get It! JCE offers a wealth of materials for teaching and learning chemistry that you can explore at our Web site, JCE Online (http://www.jce.divched.org). In addition, all articles from Volume 1 to the current issue are available in full-text PDF at JCE Online. Below are some additional JCE resources for supplying a backdrop for the cartoons described in the article “Drawing Attention with Chemistry Cartoons”. Figure 1. Make your own new discoveries about a great outshoot of pneumatics with this interactive worksheet about the Carnot cycle for an ideal gas; or, if you’re accomplished, also a non-ideal gas. http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEDLib/SymMath/collection/ article.php?id=17

Figure 2. Wöhler did not need a kidney to synthesize urea. See the article: Wöhler’s Synthesis of Urea: How Do the Textbooks Report It? J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, 883.

Figure 3. August Kekulé’s speech about his discovery was translated and published in JCE. It reveals that the cartoon is not too far off: August Kekulé and the Birth of the Structural Theory of Organic Chemistry in 1858. J. Chem. Educ. 1958, 35, 21. A 3D representation of the famous structure Kekulé illuminated, benzene, is available as part of the JCE Featured Molecules collection at: http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEWWW/Features/MonthlyMolecules/2005/Feb/index.html. Figure 4. Liebig invented this piece of glassware which is the basis of the ACS logo. He was also one of history’s most innovative chemical educators. See the article: From Justus von Liebig to Charles W. Eliot: The Establishment of Laboratory Work in U.S. High Schools and Colleges. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 566.

Figure 5. Father Thames can now consult this JCE Classroom Activity about how to build an inexpensive yet remarkably effective filter to clean dirty water: JCE Classroom Activity #60: Water Filtration. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 224A. Figure 6. To be able to read the most complicated graduated scale, the vernier scale, see this movie from Chemistry Comes Alive! Vol. 6, available as part of JCE Web Software: http://www.jce.divched.org/JCESoft/jcesoftSubscriber/CCA/CCA6/MAIN/1ChemLabMenu/ Measuring/Pressure/newbarMenu/barreading/MOVIE.HTM.

Figure 7. The colorful results of the mysterious ligand substitution are beautifully illustrated in this article and the links accompanying the online version: A Colorful Look at the Chelate Effect. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 1158. Figure 8. For a great example of academics in football, see the articles in this issue that feature celebrating ACS National Chemistry Week: Having a Ball with Chemistry—Chemistry in Sports. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 1310–1337.

Figure 9. How does helium rise? A dynamic (not just quantitative) answer is given in this article, and a lot of interesting thoughts come out of it: Why Does a Helium-Filled Balloon “Rise”? J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 1149. And a nice refinement to the calculation: On the Buoyancy of a Helium-Filled Balloon. J. Chem. Educ. 2005, 82, 246.

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Drawing Attention with Chemistry Cartoons - ACS Publications

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