History -Chemical History of UCL

Examinations

With the college established, and teaching started, the inevitable first examinations were held.

The most obvious thing about the picture is that all the students are men. Women were not admitted until the 1860's, and then only under conditions which ensured complete segregation. They came and left through a separate gate, they attended separate lectures from the men, and, to cap it all, the men's lectures started on the hour, and the women's on the half hour, to ensure that they never met. It was not until 1871 that men and women were allowed to attend the same lectures, first in the Slade school, and then in the late 1870's in the other departments.

Examination papers

The examination paper in chemistry for 1830 is shown below. Candidates apparently had to answer all 26 questions, which range from physics to biology. The first page is mainly physics, but there is some physical chemistry at the bottom. The second page includes some questions which would not be easy for today's students. "What is the taste of white arsenic?". Then comes some organic chemistry, and finally some biochemistry: "What are the principles of vinous fermentation?"

Exam Paper

Turner died young, aged only 38. He was popular with the students, and the bust which we saw in a earlier page was given to the Department by the students. It is mounted in our Undergraduate laboratory, the Turner Lab.

This page last modified 20 September, 2010