Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

J. JOHAN LINDBERG* HISTORY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY AT UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI DURING 350 YEARS Introduction Finland is a border country between West-European and East-European cultural and political powers. Finlands history of learning relates closely to its geopolitical and demographic changes. The demographers McEvedy and Jones depicted the historical situation explicitly: ..Nowhere has the frontier of cultivation pushed northward as in Finland. The result of this is that the 0.1 m Finns of late medieval times have been to multiply to a present total of nearly 5m". The development during 700 years of Swedish dominance and nearly 110 years as an autonomous Grand Duchy under the Russian czar and over 70 years of hard defended independence have formed the cultural characteristics of this northern country, Table 1. Table 1. History of government and higher education in Finland Swedish Rule>l 150—1809, Part of Swedish crown, later dutchy. Catholic faith upto 1540. <1326 Foundation of the first Cathedral School at Abo (Turku) >1250 Higher education in Middle-European universities >1540 Lutheran faith, higher education in German universities 1640 Foundation of the university, Academy at Abo (Turku) 1713—1721 Russian occupation during Nordic War. No academic teaching 1741 Short Russian occupation 1797 Foundation of Finnish Economic Society in Abo (Turku) Russian Rule 1809—1917, Grand Duchy under the czar, official languages, Swedish, Finnish (since 1863) and partly Russian. Old Swedish laws and administration. 1812 Capital shifted to Helsinki (Helsingfors) 1827 The city Abo (Turku)- and the academy destroyed by fire Transfer of the university, named Imperial Alexander University to Helsingfors (Helsinki). Strong state control. •University of Helsinki, Department of Polymer Chemistry, SF-00170 Helsinki, Finland