The subject of eugenics is back on the agenda for historians of science. I’ve been involved in the UCL Inquiry on the history and legacies of eugenics within that institution. My academic department has reviewed the range of its teaching in the subject. I’ve organised a new UCL module, Eugenics in Science and Culture. I’ve supervised several recent student projects. I’ve done some writing and…
Did Professor Karl Pearson praise Hitler and Nazi ‘race hygiene’ programmes? Yes, he did. He did this in 1934, at a dinner to mark his retirement the previous year from University College London (UCL). Pearson was 77 in 1934, and he retired in 1933 from his position as Francis Galton Chair of National Eugenics at University College London, which he held since 1911. The National…
A historian colleague of mine recently asked if I knew anything about the genealogy of UCL’s first Professor of Chemistry, Edward Turner (1796-1837). This colleague said he had heard a report that Turner was mixed race, the son of a Creole mother. Being a careful and critical historian, my friend wanted to know about evidence. We both understood this would be an exciting piece of…
The history of eugenics in Britain is far from hidden or forgotten. Many excellent papers and books explore the role of individuals (e.g., Francis Galton, Karl Pearson, Ronald Fisher, and Leonard Darwin to name only a few of the men involved) and the role of organisations (e.g., Eugenics Education Society). Eugenics in Britain has been studied in depth with an emphasis on class, gender, race,…
Stairwell conversation about office hours You: Hey Joe, what’s an “office hour”? Me: It’s a time when I’m in my office. You: Eh? Me: Sorry. It’s time reserved for students to visit. I’m in my office. I don’t make appointments. I’m there for drop-in visits from students. You: Yeah, but I can knock on your door whenever I want. Sometimes you’re in; sometimes, not. What’s…
During research concerning Charles Darwin and Emma Darwin’s life at number 12 Upper Gower Street, London, I identified several errors and vagaries in biographical material found in standard reference works. This note communicates corrections and clarifications. There is some new information about the history of the house, and some corrections to baptism records associated with the Darwin family. This is all written up in an…
In Britain, body-snatching was a cloak-and-dagger business. It also was corrupt. When her husband was arrested, tried, and executed for crimes associated with body-snatching, Ann Millard sought revenge. To her mind, local officials were complicit in the theft of bodies and their subsequent sale to anatomists. So were the medical schools where bodies often arrived in the middle of the night without explanation. While her…
In May 2011, Dr Silvia De Bianchi organised the workshop, “The Harmony of the Sphere: Kant and Herschel on the universe and the Astronomical Phenomena” at UCL. This brought together research on Kant, Herschel, and astronomy. The workshop culminated in a musical programme featuring original interpretations of compositions produced to honour astronomy and astronomical reflections. The music was recorded and produced by UCL Department of Science and…
Robert Fitzroy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) is buried in the church yard of All Saints Church, Upper Norwood, London (site). The memorial was restored in 1997. At the time of his death, Fitzroy lived at 140 Church Road. This is near the church, and the site has historical markers from Croydon to mark the fact Fitzroy lived in this house. Church Road connects…
He who admits, on general grounds, that the structure and habits of all animals have been gradually evolved, will look at the whole subject of Expression in a new and interesting light. (Charles Darwin) New edition, with an upgrade First published in 1872, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals was a book at the very heart of Darwin’s research interests – a…