Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
land such books were also published in the Netherlands, with the main
example of Johnston's several times reprinted
Scheikunde in het dage-
lijks leven
('The Chemistry of Common Life'), which, in the words of its
translator and editor Gunning, might also serve as “a suitable reading
book in the higher grades of our public schools” (Johnston 1855-56).
27
Although books on the 'chemistry of everyday life' outside the con-
text of primary education would continue to be published way into the
twentieth century, the heyday of this genre was over after 1865 (
cf.
Wi-
jnand 1918, Bokhorst 1933, Römpp 1944, Schouten 1967). The same
holds true for popular chemistry books that catered to workers and farm-
ers. While between 1845 and 1864 about 30 popular chemistry books ap-
peared in the Netherlands (including reprints), in the period 1865-1899
their total was not even ten, of which five were between 1865 and
1869.
28
As indicated above, the inclusion of chemistry in regular school
curricula seriously lowered the need for specific lectures and courses
aimed at popularization. A striking example of the effects of this are the
textbooks used by Gunning in his teaching. After first having lectured for
years in evening schools for workers on the basis of Stöckhardt's popular
chemistry book, after its third edition he decided to write his own chem-
istry book. He was meanwhile teaching at a technical school, with a
regular curriculum and daily classes, for which he deemed Stöckhardt's
book and its “aphoristic form” unsuitable (Gunning 1858, vol. 1, p. vi).
After 1863 textbooks similar to the one by Gunning were issued in large
quantities to serve advanced secondary schools (
hogere burgerscholen
).
But also for basic education - technical schools and general evening
schools - regular textbooks appeared that no longer were framed as
popularizing books, even though their didactics deviated from the topics
used in the advanced secondary schools (List 1862-64; Huizinga 1869).
29
This is a reflection of profound changes in the general understanding of
27
See also Meijlink & Jacobson 1863, Augustijn 1851, Duflos 1854-55, Enklaar 1857.
28
The estimate is based on extensive bibliographical study, using the bibliographies
mentioned above (Holtrop, Van der Meulen) and all titles found with the help of the
on-line national Dutch library catalogue NCC, when using keywords such as 'schei-
kunde', 'scheikundig', 'chemie', and 'chemisch'.
29
Huizinga emphasized in his preface that advanced secondary education (HBS) text-
books moved from the general to the specific, while he himself tried to start from
'everyday ... phenomena'. On Huizinga as popularizer, see Van Berkel 1991.
