Royal Society of Chemistry hosts second Leicester lecturer in a month

In early April, Professor Andy Abbott from our Department of Chemistry was invited to give a talk at the Royal Society of Chemistry. Barely a month later, Leicester has been represented there again – this time by Emeritus Professor of the History of Science, Bill Brock.

Professor Abbott’s lecture, which he gave at the RSC’s Chemistry Centre at Burlington House, examined the role of the chemist in art through history. Professor Brock’s lecture on 3 May on the other hand asked why the history of chemistry should be important today’s chemists and science teachers, as well as the general public.

Of course, Professor Brock illustrated his talk with plenty of examples from his recent book The case of the poisonous socks, in which he takes the non-specialist reader through some of the milestone moments and colourful characters that defined the discipline and, indeed, the world that we know today.

Like Professor Abbott’s talk, ‘Poisonous Socks’ is available as an online webcast – and ‘The case of the poisonous socks’ you will find in all good bookshops.