
Henry Enfield Roscoe
The Campaigning Chemist
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 30. September 2024
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-19-084425-7 (ISBN)
Description
Little known today, Henry Enfield Roscoe was one of the most prominent chemists and educational reformers in Victorian Britain. Having studied in Heidelberg, he worked to transform English education by using Germany as a model. He made Owens College, Manchester, viable and converted it into Victoria University (now the University of Manchester).
He then campaigned for the reform of technical education in an alliance with like-minded campaigners which resulted in the Technical Instruction Act of 1889. Roscoe was also the Liberal MP for South Manchester between 1885 and 1895, one of the few academic chemists to become a member of the House of Commons. In his "retirement," he helped found the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.
Yet, despite his extensive impact on Britain at the time and our society today, he remains largely forgotten. In this detailed biography, authors Morris and Reed provide a timely and original contribution to the history of nineteenth-century British science and its relation to education, industry, and government policy, highlighting Roscoe's significant contributions and legacy as one of the leading scientists of his generation.
He then campaigned for the reform of technical education in an alliance with like-minded campaigners which resulted in the Technical Instruction Act of 1889. Roscoe was also the Liberal MP for South Manchester between 1885 and 1895, one of the few academic chemists to become a member of the House of Commons. In his "retirement," he helped found the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.
Yet, despite his extensive impact on Britain at the time and our society today, he remains largely forgotten. In this detailed biography, authors Morris and Reed provide a timely and original contribution to the history of nineteenth-century British science and its relation to education, industry, and government policy, highlighting Roscoe's significant contributions and legacy as one of the leading scientists of his generation.
Reviews / Votes
Arguably, Sir Henry Roscoe wrote the most entertaining chemists' autobiography ever published. Now, in this important and very readable biography, the authors peer behind the details of the autobiography to reveal hidden details of the life of this Victorian inorganic chemist, writer, educationist, Anglo-German enthusiast, politician, and catalyst of the later scientific industrialisation of Manchester.- William Brock, former Director of the Victorian Studies Centre at the University of Leicester More than a century after Henry Roscoe's death, we at last have the scholarly biography that this gifted, multi-faceted man deserves. Morris and Reed reveal a Roscoe whose achievements endured in textbooks and lectures, academic institution-building in Manchester and London, and the fruits of a relentless advocacy of technical education, as much as in his scientific research. The result is an insightful, deftly contextualized study, representing biographical writing at its very best.
- Robert Fox, Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Sir Henry Roscoe was a chemist by training, but became the Liberal MP for South Manchester. The authors of this fascinating, readable, and well-researched book seek to rescue Roscoe from his undeserved obscurity. This is a must-read book for anyone connected with the University of Manchester or chemistry.
- Dr Brian Iddon, organic chemist and former Labour MP for Bolton, South East Peter Morris and Peter Reed have done us all a great service. Thanks to their meticulous work, Henry Roscoe is now rescued from undeserved oblivion. At the start of the nineteenth century, John Dalton put Manchester on the chemical map, Roscoe then created the strong program of teaching, research and industrial engagement that came to characterize chemical instruction in Manchester. We are indebted to the authors for establishing in rich detail exactly how this was done.
- Arnold Thackray, Joseph Priestley Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania The authors have ably served a wide potential readership of not only historians and chemists, but also of educationalists and those interested in Victorian politics, Manchester, itsindustry and its university. This is an eminently readable and insightful book which at last restores to prominence "The Campaigning Chemist". * Anna Simmons, Royal Society of Chemistry * This is a finely crafted and detailed account of the role of Henry Enfield Roscoe (1833-1915) as chemist, educator, administrator, consultant, and Parliamentarian who worked as a central figure within influential networks in Victorian England. Morris and Reed deftly and expertly present Roscoe as an indefatigable campaigner for chemical and technical education, universities and scientific institutions, and progressive liberal agendas and values. This biography is a valuable addition not only to our knowledge of nineteenth-century British chemical history, but also to our understanding of the scientist as a public citizen. * Mary Jo Nye, Ambix * The Campaigning Chemist provides an important window into British scientists' efforts to both reform chemical education and revitalize the relationship between science and industry in the late-nineteenth century. With its extensive bibliography, Morris and Reed's book will be a useful reference for students and scholars interested in learning more about late-nineteenth-century British chemistry. * Amy A. Fisher, Bulletin for the History of Chemistry *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
626 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-084425-7 (9780190844257)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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04/2024
OUP eBook
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E-Book
04/2024
OUP eBook
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Persons
Peter J.T. Morris took a chemistry degree at Oxford and then a D.Phil. on the development of synthetic rubber by the German combine IG Farben. After working in the History of Chemistry Research Group at the Open University with Colin Russell and at the Centre for the History of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania with Arnold Thackray, he oversaw the chemistry collections at the Science Museum in London for 24 years before retiring in 2015. He was given the Edelstein Award of the American Chemical Society in 2006 and the Wheeler Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry's Historical Group in 2013.
Peter Reed gained a BSc degree at the University of London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Leicester. He was Head of Chemistry at the Grammar School, Henley on Thames, before spending twenty-three years working for the museums in Liverpool. He retired in 1998 as Head of the Development Office for National Museums and Galleries of Merseyside, and then
undertook consultancy work for the Canadian company ARIUS-3D, the European Commission and EUCLID (Liverpool), and was project manager for the Carpet Museum in Kidderminster.
Peter Reed gained a BSc degree at the University of London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Leicester. He was Head of Chemistry at the Grammar School, Henley on Thames, before spending twenty-three years working for the museums in Liverpool. He retired in 1998 as Head of the Development Office for National Museums and Galleries of Merseyside, and then
undertook consultancy work for the Canadian company ARIUS-3D, the European Commission and EUCLID (Liverpool), and was project manager for the Carpet Museum in Kidderminster.
Author
Senior Research Associate, Science Museum and Honorary Research AssociateSenior Research Associate, Science Museum and Honorary Research Associate, University College London
Independent ScholarIndependent Scholar
Content
Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations Used
1. Who Was Henry Enfield Roscoe?
2. Of Lancastrian Stock and the Formative Years
3. Finding His Niche
4. Seeing the Light
5. From Instability to Stability
6. Creating a Civic University
7. Flying the Flag for Chemistry in Cottonopolis
8. Academia Driving Economic Progress
9. Securing Britain's Economic Future
10. A Chemist in the House
11. An Active Retirement
12. Roscoe's Legacy
Bibliography of Henry E. Roscoe's Publications
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations Used
1. Who Was Henry Enfield Roscoe?
2. Of Lancastrian Stock and the Formative Years
3. Finding His Niche
4. Seeing the Light
5. From Instability to Stability
6. Creating a Civic University
7. Flying the Flag for Chemistry in Cottonopolis
8. Academia Driving Economic Progress
9. Securing Britain's Economic Future
10. A Chemist in the House
11. An Active Retirement
12. Roscoe's Legacy
Bibliography of Henry E. Roscoe's Publications
Bibliography
Index