Essay Review: Science and the Universities: The University in Society

Cordeaux E. H. and Merry D. H. , A bibliography of printed works relating to the University of Oxford (Oxford, 1968).

Morrell J. B. , “The Leslie affair: Careers, kirk, and politics in Edinburgh in 1805”, The Scottish historical review, liv (1975), 63–80, exploits letters at the British Museum (Natural History), the Edinburgh Town Council, the National Library of Scotland, and the universities of Edinburgh, Keele, Oxford, and St Andrews.

Compare Evidence, oral and documentary, taken and received by the Commissioners for visiting the Universities of Scotland: The University of Edinburgh (Parliamentary papers, xxxv, 1837); Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners appointed to enquire into the state, discipline, studies and revenues of the University and Colleges of Oxford: together with the evidence, and an appendix (Parliamentary papers, xxii, 1852) [c. 1482]; Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners appointed to enquire into the state, discipline, studies, and revenues of the University and Colleges of Cambridge: together with the evidence and an appendix (Parliamentary papers, xliv, 1852) [c. 1559]. In future references the last two titles will be cited as Oxford evidence and Cambridge evidence.

This brilliant formulation is that of Dr Bernard Richards, himself a Fellow of Brasenose. See “Pater centenary lectures”, The Brazen Nose, xv (1974), 350–1.

Statement by the Council of the University of London, explanatory of the nature and objects of the institution (London, 1827), as reproduced in Douglas D. C. (ed.), English historical documents, 1783–1832 (London, 1959) 696–700, p. 699.

Stone L. , “The educational revolution in England, 1560–1640”, Past and present, no. xxviii (1964), 41–81; Kagan R. L. , “Universities in Castile 1500–1700”, Past and present, no. xlix (1970), 44–71.

Morrell J. B. , “London institutions and Lyell's career: 1820–1841”, The British journal for the history of science, ix (1976), 132–46.

The archives of University College London are rich in this sort of material: Forman P. Heilbron J. L. , and Weart S. , “Physics circa 1900”, Historical studies in the physical sciences, v (1975), 1–185, pp. 32–33.

Thompson E. P. , “Time, work-discipline, and industrial capitalism”, Past and present, no. xxxviii (1967), 56–97.

As will be shown later, there were considerable differences between the Oxford and Cambridge professoriate; its weakness refers to its small size and lack of power, and not to absence of personal initiative. For a professorial lament, see Powell B. , The present state and future prospects of mathematical and physical studies in the University of Oxford, considered in a public lecture, introductory to his usual course, in Easter term, MD CCC XXXII (Oxford, 1832). For a defence of the college teaching system and opposition to private crammers, see Whewell W. , On the principles of English university education, 2nd ed. (London, 1838).

These range from the Analytical Society founded at Cambridge in 1813 by Babbage, Herschel, and Peacock, to the Royal Medical Society founded at Edinburgh in 1737.

See also the complementary article by Turner R. S. , “The growth of professorial research in Prussia, 1818 to 1848—causes and context”, Historical studies in the physical sciences, iii (1971), 137–82.

The work under review, i, 6 and 351.

See Shapin S. and Thackray A. W. , “Prosopography as a research tool in the history of science: The British scientific community, 1700–1900”, History of science, xii (1974), 1–28.

I am referring to Stokes (Lucasian mathematics), Cumming (chemistry), Challis (Plumian astronomy and natural philosophy), Clark (anatomy), Henslow (botany), Sedgwick (geology), Miller (mineralogy), Peacock (Lowndean geometry and astronomy), and Willis (Jacksonian experimental philosophy).

See Oxford evidence, 267–8, 284–5.

Taylor F. S. , “The teaching of science at Oxford in the nineteenth century”, Annals of science, viii (1952), 82–112, pp. 82–83. Cooke was Sedleian professor of natural philosophy.

Cambridge evidence, 107, 117–18.

Oxford evidence, 261–2, 285.

Cambridge evidence, 119.

For a minor example, see Morrell J. B. , “The Edinburgh Town Council and its University, 1717–1766”, in Anderson R. G. W. and Simpson A. D. C. (eds), The early years of the Edinburgh medical school (Edinburgh, 1976), 46–65.