| PHILOSOPHY
WITH PLUMBING (From Maurice King,
obstetrics) We heard on the radio that a certain
Peter Ginsberg PhD is giving up his research
on arthritis, and retraining as a gas fitter,
thereby doubling his present income from £25,000
to £50,000 a year. We also heard that
there is a national shortage of 100,000 skilled
tradesmen, all of whom could presumably command
such salaries. The drive to put so many students
into higher education has seriously depleted
the skilled trades, yet at the same time philosophy
students, for example, are apt to be at a
loss as to how to earn their living. Since
no honest work is demeaning, why does not
the University run joint courses such as ‘Geophysics
with gas fitting’ and ‘Philosophy
with plumbing’ – philosophy to
fill the mind, and plumbing to fill the belly?
FAIR
TRADE THUMBS UP (From Professor Hugh
Glover, University of Port Elizabeth, South
Africa) As one who spent six months at Leeds
in 1990, I wish to express my support, despite
being far away, for the University becoming
a fair trade institution, subscribing to the
five goals laid down on your postcard. (see
page 3, Ed.)
OLD
MEDICAL SCHOOL (From Chris Hammond
and Bill Mathie, school of medicine) Members
of the University will be delighted to hear
that following a submission by the Victorian
Society and an independent assessment by English
Heritage, the Old Medical School in Thoresby
Place has been upgraded from Grade II to II*.
This is a substantial regrading, as just 4%
of Grade II buildings are starred. For those
who do not know the building, which was completed
in 1894, many of its architectural glories
that warrant the starred status are inside.
They include the entrance hall and stairway
with its Burmantofts tiling and armorial panels,
the smaller ‘hexagon’ hall and
the former library, with its balcony and oak
panelling. Perhaps the most significant interior
feature is the former anatomy lecture theatre
with its steeply-raked seating arranged in
a semi-ellipse around the demonstration table,
and with original domed plaster ceiling. Such
forms of theatre were once common in the medical
schools of Europe, being derived from the
design of the fifteenth century example at
Padua. The anatomy lecture theatre here is
perhaps the only survivor in the country.
An illustrated guide to the building, prepared
by the undersigned for the 2002 Civic Trust
Heritage Open Day, when it was open to the
public, is available from the authors.
THE
SOMME AT LEEDS (Professor Roger Boyle,
computing) Congratulations are due to whoever
had the idea of converting the area south
of the EC Stoner building to a car park. What
had been a space used only by idle staff playing
boules, or eating sandwich lunches, has now
been put to good use by those who are unable
to get to work by foot, bicycle or public
transport. I am especially impressed by the
conversion of a level, gravel-strewn area
to a rutted, undrainable, puddled Somme. Further,
the practice of car users parking on footways
has, with great success, impeded all use by
cyclists, skateboarders and wheelchair users.
Why are we not doing the same thing on St
George’s Field?
PAPER
DETERIORATION (From Ralph Hass) As
a genealogist often finding archives in various
stages of deterioration and disrepair, I am
interested in what causes the biological deterioration
of paper archives. What is the science behind
the material breakdown of paper material?
Is it ozone? Is it micro organisms in the
air attacking the paper? Is it moisture evaporating
from the paper product causing it to become
yellow and fragile?
Can Reporter readers help?
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