Description
Book SynopsisThis fascinating and unique history reveals the major influence of the Oxford Chemistry School on the advancement of chemistry. It shows how the nature of the University, and individuals within it, have shaped the school and made great achievements both in teaching and research. The book will appeal to those interested in the history of science and education, the city of Oxford and chemistry in general. Chemistry has been studied in Oxford for centuries but this book focuses on the last 400 years and, in particular, the seminal work of Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, and the proto- Royal Society of the 1650''s. Arranged in chronological fashion, it includes specialist studies of particular areas of innovation. The book shows that chemistry has advanced, not just as a consequence of research but, because of the idiosynchratic nature of the collegiate system and the characters of the individuals involved. In other words, it demonstrates that science is a human endeavour and its advance in an
Trade Review"The Editors themselves fittingly contribute five of the seven chapters of this compelling and scholarly volume...the team deliver a thorough and convincing dissection and analysis of Oxford chemistry set against the academic and political influences of the period, and in the context of the wider history of science." * Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 64, 95 - 96, Derek Robinson *
"...this book was an ambitious undertaking and to do it in such perseptive detail was remarkable indeed." * Volume 34, Number 2 2009, *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: An Outline of the History of the University of Oxford with Reference to its Chemistry School; Chapter 2: From Alchemy to Air Pumps: the Foundation of Oxford Chemistry to 1700; Chapter 3: The Eighteenth Century: Chemistry Allied to Anatomy; Chapter 4: Chemistry Comes of Age: the 19th Century; Chapter 5: Research as the Thing: Oxford Chemistry 1912-1939; Chapter 6: Interlude: Chemists at War; Chapter 7: Recent Times 1945-2005: a School of World Renown
