A Chemical Passion: The forgotten story of chemistry at British independent girls' schools, 1820s–1930s

Chemistry is traditionally thought to have been a masculine subject in secondary schools – one at which boys excelled and girls had limited interest. In this groundbreaking work Marelene and Geoff Rayner-Canham reveal that from the 1820s to the 1930s chemistry teaching flourished in girls’ independent schools in Britain. Working in well-equipped labs, generations of inspirational teachers imparted a lasting fascination for the subject in their pupils, many of whom became teachers or professional chemists themselves. For a variety of reasons that the authors investigate, this tradition tailed off before the Second World War, and a proud history was forgotten even in the schools where it had once flourished. The fruit of years of research in the archives of dozens of schools, the authors present a rich and multifaceted account that reveals the hidden history of a landmark achievement in the education of women.

Table of Contents:
CONTENTS: Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The revolution in girls’ education, 1850–1910; 2. The earliest chemistry education for girls; 3. Chemistry and the two role-model girls’ schools; 4. Chemistry as a girls’ subject; 5. The pioneering women chemistry teachers; 6. Practical chemistry at girls’ schools; 7. Chemistry and school science clubs; 8. In their own words: Chemistry poetry and short stories; 9. Chemistry at some Welsh girls’ schools; 10. Chemistry at some Scottish girls’ schools; 11. What will the chemistry students do?; 12. The 1930s: The end of an era; References; Index

About the Author :
Marelene Rayner-Canham was laboratory instructor in physics at Memorial University's Grenfell Campus, Newfoundland, and is now a researcher and author on the history of women in science. Geoff Rayner-Canham is Professor of Chemistry at Memorial University's Grenfell Campus, Newfoundland.

Review :
'This book has all the strengths of a study that sets out to recover marginalized voices and a ‘forgotten story’. It brings to light evidence, narratives and developments which otherwise would not be seen and in so doing enriches historical analysis. [...] There is much here that will be of considerable interest and value to women’s historians, historians of gender, historians of science and historians of education more broadly.' 'As the book concludes, the “… exciting times documented in previous chapters were soon forgotten, even from the institutional memory of the schools themselves”. The Rayner-Canhams have done a marvellous job in putting this right and showing just how important chemistry was in these schools in this period. It is a fascinating book, and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the overlap of history, chemistry and education'.