New from the British Society for the History of Science
An Element of Controversy
The Life of Chlorine in Science, Medicine,
Technology and War
Edited by Hasok Chang and Catherine Jackson
from research by undergraduate students at University College London
This collection is the product of a highly
innovative pedagogical experiment. Five
successive cohorts of undergraduate students,
each building on the work inherited from the
previous year, produced an academic
monograph. The outcome is an engaging
history of the chemical element chlorine
from its first isolation in the 1770s to the late
20th century. With a methodological focus
on controversies, this rich collection includes
studies on the history and philosophy of
chemistry, the history and ethics of chemical
warfare, the medical and technological
developments of disinfection and bleaching,
and the environmental impacts of organochlorine compounds from the Vietnam War
to Silent Spring.
“A 21st-century exemplar for integrated teaching and research in history of
science. Every historian of science should read it, as should their students.”
— Graeme Gooday, Division of History & Philosophy of Science, Univ. of Leeds
“An engaging and instructive story, full of life and surprising insights.”
— Helge Kragh, History of Science Department, University of Aarhus
“Chang and Jackson transform students into a professional community of
researchers. This is truly higher education.”
— Stephen Rowland, Professor of Higher Education, University College London
Hasok Chang is Reader in Philosophy of Science at the Department of Science and
Technology Studies, UCL. Catherine Jackson holds a PhD in Chemistry from Cambridge
University, and is completing a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at UCL.
Volume 13 of BSHS Monographs
ISBN 978-0-906450-01-7
paperback / ix + 407pp / £22 (plus postage and packing)
Available from the British Society for the History of Science (use order form, which can be
downloaded from http://www.bshs.org.uk/bshs/publications/monograph_series), and
Amazon.co.uk, and selected bookshops.