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.

Henry Enfield Roscoe: The Campaigning Chemist

Biographies & Memoirs

Reed, Peter

Morris, Peter J.T.

Historical

Oxford University Press

Biographical sketches of 12 pioneers, from Marcellin Berthollet and John Wesley Hyatt to Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, accompany an introductory overview of the history of polymer science. Time charts before each chapter summarize significant events.

Polymer Pioneers: A Popular History of the Science and Technology of Large Molecules (Center for History of Chemistry, No 5)

Science & Math

History & Philosophy

Chemical Heritage Foundation

White coats, Bunsen burners, beakers, flasks, and pipettes―the furnishings of the chemistry laboratory are familiar to most of us from our school days, but just how did these items come to be the crucial tools of science? Examining the history of the laboratory, Peter J. T. Morris offers a unique way to look at the history of chemistry itself, showing how the development of the laboratory helped shape modern chemistry. Chemists, Morris shows, are one of the leading drivers of innovation in laboratory design and technology. He tells of fascinating lineages of invention and innovation, for instance, how the introduction of coal gas into Robert Wilhelm Bunsen’s laboratory led to the eponymous burner, which in turn led to the development of atomic spectroscopy. Comparing laboratories across eras, from the furnace-centered labs that survived until the late eighteenth century to the cleanrooms of today, he shows how the overlooked aspects of science―the architectural design and innovative tools that have facilitated its practice―have had a profound impact on what science has been able to do and, ultimately, what we have been able to understand.

The Matter Factory: A History of the Chemistry Laboratory

Chemistry

Reaktion Books

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Books by Morris, Peter J.T.