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COMMENTTHE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO 143 | NOVEMBER 2002The ReportNew Archbishophe College’s annual Reportfor 2001-2 has just beenTpublished. Articles thisyear include a history of theMaughan Library; a round-up ofmodern languages work on gen-visits King’s der issues; views from studentsand lecturers about what makesa good teacher of medicine; anhe Most Revd Dr Rowan Dr Williams suggested that dimension of the search for truth outline of developments in filmWilliams, Archbishop of Wales, ‘wisdom, righteousness and holi- through higher education gave theory; an account of King’sTpreached at the Opening of ness are not modular’, both the us a real challenge at the start of involvement in the assessmentYear Service on 25 September in life of faith and ‘the life of the the academic year. With a of science learning outsidethe College Chapel at the Strand mind’ experience ‘moments of packed Chapel it was a splendid schools, and a description of aCampus. Dr Williams, who will loss when we don’t know what College occasion.’ project to collect and digitise take up his duties as Archbishop we are talking about’ – and then Also last month, the wife of historical records of the clergy.of Canterbury next year, was a wisdom and holiness are the gift the present Archbishop of Can- Last year’s Report was awardedkeynote speaker at the College’s of God to us. terbury (and alumnus of King’s), a silver medal for an institutionalMillennium Festival of Medi- During the ...
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COMMENT THE COLLEGE NEWSLETTERE N143 |NOVEMBER2002 ISSU O T New Archbishop yea Ma visits King’snaaodg mo der i he Most Revd Dr Rowandimension of the search for truthDr Williams suggested that outli Williams, Archbishop of Wales,‘wisdom, righteousness and holi- through higher education gavethe YeTService on 25 September inar the academic year. With afaith and ‘the life of the life of of s preached at the Opening ofnot modular’, both the ness are us a real challenge at the start ofinvo the College Chapel at the Strandpacked mind’ experience ‘moments of Chapel it was a splendidsch Campus.loss when we don’t know what College occasion.’Dr Williams, who will proj take up his duties as Archbishop we are talking about’ – and then Also last month, the wife ofhist of Canterbury next year, was a wisdom and holiness are the gift the present Archbishop of Can-L keynote speaker at the College’s of God to us. terbury (and alumnus of King’s),a sil Millennium Festival of Medi- During the service the Arch- Mrs Eileen Carey, visited thepubl cine in October 2000. bishop said a prayer of blessing Florence Nightingale School ofove The theme of this service was for the new altar frontal. Nursing&Midwifery. She wasuniv ‘True Wisdom’, taking up one The Revd Dr Richard Burridge, accompanied by Mrs Jenniferfor of the texts on the Chapel walls Dean of King’s commented: ‘I’m Llewellin, wife of the Bishop ofEdu and the College mottoSanctereally delighted that Archbishop Lambeth. Both were trainedC et SapienterRowan came to preach at King’s. nurses and pursued careers in– ‘with wisdom rec and holiness’. His sermon about the spiritual the profession. The aim of theircam visit was to hear about the workRela of the School, to learn about theema latest research and to meet staff and students. Professor Jenifer Wilson-Bar-nett, Head of School, outlined the work currently being under-taken, in particular widening participation and return to nursing programmes.
DAVID UTTING
Dr Williamsand Dr Burridge with the new altar frontal, made by Watt & Co, renowned ecclesiastical furnishers (founded by George Gilbert Scott II, son of Sir George Gilbert Scott, who designed the
Chapel). The frontal picks up Scott’s original ideas on the Chapel walls. It is the first of four the College is hoping to purchase and fundraising is taking place for the remaining three.
2Mergers & Fees|Rwandan President|3Long service celebrations|4Profile: Dr Lynn Carlisle|5Ironing robot|6Choir tour|7Robert Bentley Todd|8In the news|9Research success|10People|11Obituaries|12Books
News
Proposed merger of IC and UCL he Principal, Professor Arthur Lucas, outlines the T College’s position: ‘My senior officers and I are naturally looking closely at the implications of any merger, and the implications of a failure to merge given their announce-ment of the intent. ‘We will be discussing the proposed Imperial College and
University College London merger at College Council, Aca-demic Board and other commit-tees of the College in due course. As a result of these discussions, it is likely that the College will seek the power to award its own degrees, although it would be a separate decision at an appropri-ate time to use that power. ‘We at King’s are not actively seeking further mergers – I believe strongly that there is a place for a Cambridge or Har-vard-sized university in London, and that King’s is in a prime posi-tion to flourish in this regard. ‘Finally, if the merger is to take place, it will take some time to implement. By then, King’s will have emerged as a stronger organisation through having completed the staff restructuring programme, which is a major component of our strategic plan.’
Presidental meetings is Excellency the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, visited the Strand Cam-H pus on 18 October for a meeting with members of School of Social Science&Pub-lic Policy, who are undertaking research for his Government on national security. Accompanied by HE the Rwandan Ambas-sador to the UK, Rosemary Museminali, the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Patriotic Army and several other Rwandan dignitaries, President Kagame was met by the Principal, Professor Arthur Lucas, Professor Lawrence Freedman, Head of the School of Social Science&Public Policy, Professor John Garnett, Centre for Defence Studies (CDS), Dr Chris Smith, Deputy Director (Research Development), International Policy Institute (IPI), and Philip Wilkinson, CDS. At the meeting three major issues were discussed:
• the possibility of establishing links between King’s and the Rwandan National University, and the Kigali Institute for Science and Technology
2 |COMMENT| November 2002
Deregulation of tuition fees
In response to media speculation about the introduction of differ-ential fees (prompted by reports that Imperial College planned to introduce such fees), the Principal commented: ‘I am strongly committed to the College’s policy that ability-to-pay should play no part in student admissions. However, it is quite clear that the continuing decline in resources for major universities must be addressed. But the Government have repeatedly indicated that they have no plans for a major injec-tion of recurrent funding to redress the decline in unit of resource per student. If the Government deregulates fees, and if the current grant for
• the support that King’s, in particular IPI, might give to the establishment of an African peace research centre in Kigali • the on-going contract that CDS has with the Rwandan Government.
This contract is in three phases: one, to conduct a comprehensive national threat assessment; two, to engage civil society in the security debate and three, to advise the
teaching were continued but available to be used for scholar-ships – an assumption that is one of the conditions in the model for fees discussed by Imperial College – then we must explore fee systems that would ensure that no suitably qualified candidate was excluded on finan-cial grounds. ‘Put simply, we want the best students at King’s, irrespective of their ability to pay. In any new funding regime this will continue to be our priority as we seek to find such students whatever their social background and schooling patterns.’
All statements from the Principal can be found on the College website underNews Highlights from King’simmediately they are issued. Also posted here are College press releases.
Government of Rwanda on how to manage the transition of the security forces from a war footing to a peacetime posture. Professor John Garnett said: ‘We had very free and frank discussions with President Kagame and his aides and a number of positive suggestions were presented and discussed. These will now be carefully considered by King’s and the Rwandan Government.’
GARY MULCHAY
Presidential visit:HEPresident Kagame(third from right)with from left, Dr Chris Smith,HERosemary Museminali, Professor John Garnett, Philip Wilkinson, Professor Arthur Lucas, Principal, Professor Lawrence Freedman.
News
JO FISHENDEN KCH £60m wing opens n 6 October, the new Golden departments will have taken up Jubilee Wing at King’s Col- residence. Obring many benefits to patients, lege Hospital opened its The Golden Jubilee Wing will doors to its first patients, two months earlier than scheduled. the local community and staff, The new seven-storey wing including: will revolutionise the services provided by the hospital. It willcare centres for• integrated enable all the acute services atwomen, outpatients and Denmark Hill to be broughttherapies together by the end of 2004 and• the capacity to treat 6,000 will allow the location of relatedmore inpatients and 15,000 services close to each other, creat-more outpatients every year ing centres of medical expertise.and more convenient• faster The opening of the new wingtreatment as related services is the biggest change to the hos-will be located together Cheers: Mr Malcolm Osmundson(left)andMr Donald Farrcelebrating over pital since it moved to the Den-booking proce-• streamlined 40 years’ service each for the College. mark Hill site in 1913. Costingdures and improved commu-£60 million, it will house allnications between hospital women’s services (including astaff and GPs new birthing centre), neonatal Long service intensive care, most outpatients Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, Chief clinics, an integrated therapies Executive of King’s College Hos-centre, two new wards for med- pital commented: ‘This is a very ical patients and a purpose built exciting time for the hospital. high dependency unit. The Golden Jubilee Wing is the celebrationslowed by women’s outpatients, First through the doors on culmination of an enormous 6 October was gynaecology, fol- amount of hard work and dedica-tion. It shows how the Trust’s alcolm Osmundson, the members of staff who have dis-and antenatal clinics, colposcopy vision for the future is being School Resources Man- tinguishly served King’s, or its encMes, and Donald Farr, the Dis- years or more. Others include: and the fetal assessment unit. realised. We look forward to mov-ager for Biomedical Sci- constituent Colleges, for 40 The world renowned Harris ing into the wing and continuing Birthright unit opened its new to deliver excellent patient care secting Room Manager, School facilities on 14 October and by within the local community, of Biomedical Sciences, areMr Ken Bromfield, December 2002 all relevant nationally and internationally.’ celebrating a combined 80 plus Personnel & Training years’ service for the College. MrProfessor Francesco Giannelli, Osmundson started work at Medical & Molecular Genetics Queen Elizabeth College on 21Mr Derrick Lovell, November 1960 as a junior tech- Electronmicroscopy Unit nician, while Mr Farr began workProfessor Mary Seller, at the Strand on 29 August 1960, Medical & Molecular Genetics also as a junior technician inProfessor Raymond Streater, Anatomy. Mathematics Unfortunately King’s longestProfessor Peter Williams, serving member of staff, Reg Life Sciences Reed, Health & Safety TechnicianDr Ronald Wilson, in the Division of Life Sciences, Senior Lecturer, Periodontology was not able to join the celebra- & Preventive Dentistry tions. He has worked for the College for an incredible 49 If your name is not included in years, starting as a junior techni- this list and you have worked at cian at King’s in the Zoology the College for 40 years or more, Department on 12 August 1953. please contact the Public Rela-Amazingly these three men tions Office on ext 3202 or email are by no means the only pr@kcl.ac.ukExpansion:the new Golden Jubilee Wing at King’s College Hospital.
November 2002 |COMMENT| 3
Profile
Dr Lynn Carlisle
Lynn Carlislehas taken up the newly established post ofDeputy College Secretary (Health). She is based in the Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine Management Offices in the Hodgkin Building on the Guy’s Campus.
What is your background? I trained as a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas. I was awarded a NIH Postdoctoral Scholarship which I held at the University of Michigan. I continued in research after I moved to London until I joined UMDS as Head of Research Services. Later I was a Project Director on the PFI scheme – the building project to provide new accom-modation for staff and students at the Franklin-Wilkins Building and New Hunt’s House. After the merger I became the Senior Assistant College Secretary in the School of Biomedical Sci-ences. Most recently I’ve been the Institute Secretary at the Institute of Psychiatry.
Can you describe your new job? My role is split into two func-tions. One is to provide senior management support to the School of Medicine. The other is to co-ordinate activities amongst the Health Schools, between the Health Schools and the rest of King’s, and between King’s and the NHS. [The Health Schools comprise Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences, Health& Life Sciences, Nursing and IOP]
What are the main challenges facing the Schools, and how will your new role address them? There are many similarities between the Health Schools in terms of the subjects that we teach and the areas in which we undertake research, but some-
4 |COMMENT| November 2002
times the school structure inter-feres with our ability to take full advantage of these. Part of my role is to look at ways to elimi-nate barriers where they exist, and to develop a model to man-age and resource our activities more efficiently and for maxi-mum benefit overall. The new Graduate School for Health is the first working example of this philosophy. The Health Schools are solidly behind the College’s objective of ‘doing fewer things better’. We need to improve our research performance and to focus our teaching in areas of research strength. I see a major part of my role as ensuring that the Health Schools deliver their strategic plans, which are critical to meet-ing these objectives. Our relationships with our NHS partners are critical to our success and theirs. Maintaining these relationships requires time, effort and understanding. A major part of my role is to build on and strengthen existing relationships and to engender a culture of true joint working. I’ve seen such a relationship in action at the Institute of Psychi-atry with the South London and Maudsley Trust, and I know what the benefits can be.
If IC and UCL merge, what would be the effect on your area? I think their merger could be of benefit to us if we take advan-tage of the opportunities that will arise. Mergers inevitably lead to uncertainty and disrup-
tion. There may be opportuni-ties to recruit staff from IC and UCL who don’t wish to work through another merger. I also think they will have great diffi-culty organising a cohesive MBBS course for an intake of 700 students, and that could also benefit us indirectly.
You are one of the few people who have worked on four out of the College’s five campuses, what’s the most striking difference between them? I’m a North Londoner and I had rarely been any further south of the river than Waterloo when I started at the Institute. I didn’t know where the Elephant and Castle was! I almost didn’t take the job because I thought Den-mark Hill was so far away. Of course it isn’t, and I wish more
people would learn that lesson. It’s a great place, but one does tend to feel isolated from the rest of the College there. Ironically, I had the same sense of isolation when I worked in the James Clerk Maxwell Building, even though it is at the centre of the College. I think having the senior officers and central administration isolated from the academic community can lead to a lack of understanding on both sides. I certainly had the best view at St Thomas’, overlooking Big Ben, as well as the strongest sense of being part of a ‘university hospi-tal’. But I’m glad to be back at Guy’s, which I think combines the buzz of being on a hospital site with the energy that comes from being surrounded by students.
JO FISHENDEN
Research projects in theDepartment of Mechanical Engineeringhave been making the headlines recently. Two are outlined below.
Sewer sensors examine the parts the inspectors cannot reach remote control sensing device is being developed walAls. Using both ultrasound andto recognise the characteris-The computer can be ‘trained’ to detect defects in sewer tics of a defect from the sonar laser light, digital information on or camera data. the condition of the sewer walls is fed back to a computer that can be programmed to spot prob- tem in conjunction with the video lems. The research is being led by camera. Defects are indicated by Dr Kaspar Althoefer and Professor changes in the laser pattern pro-Lakmal Seneviratne. jected on to the walls. The advan-The UK sewer network is tage is that it does not require a around 250,000 kilometres long, powerful light source to illuminate some of which is 100 years old the scene for the camera. It also and at least half is 50 years old. makes it easier for the camera About 20 per cent is damaged in to distinguish between genuine some way, leading to around defects and apparent defects, 5,000 collapses and 200,000 which are actually reflections of blockages a year. Many sewers light from the wall of the pipe. Dr Althoefer said: ‘Once we have collected the data and Using both ultrasound andstored it digitally, we then subject laser light, digitalit to analysis with intelligent com-information on the conditionputer software based on neural of the sewer walls is fednetworks.’ The computer can be back to a computer‘trained’ to recognise the charac-teristics of a defect from the sonar or camera data. This would are also too small for inspectors to allow it to detect any defects get to, remote video cameras can automatically, pinpointing their be used but they cannot see position in the pipe, for further through water and the recorded investigation and remedial action. video images do not always pick Eventually, completely auto-up all the cracks. Also, it is time- nomous sensing machines could consuming to examine the film – spend long periods in the sewer a one-kilometre stretch of sewer network, roaming the pipes and generates about three hours of collecting essential information video footage. about their condition. The data The King’s team uses an ultra- could then be retrieved at regular sound sensor to scan the area of intervals to allow engineers to pipe which is below any water. Dr improve their strategies for the Althoefer explained: ‘This can pick repair and maintenance of the up evidence of cracks, or roots pipe network. growing into the pipe, and relay it The research is funded by the back to the base station.’ EPSRC and was featured in the They are also using a laser sys-Financial Times.
Research focus
Ironing robot robot maid that does the iron- what it is dealing with and how to ing without complaining, get- treat it,’ Dr Dai continued. inAyour favourite shirt could be ing instructions already sewn into ting bored or burning a hole Coded tags similar to the wash-part of every household in a few clothes could be attached to gar-years, thanks to King’s researchers. ments by manufacturers. They plan to break down the Pressing would be done by a last bastion of domestic drudgery combination of robot grippers and by developing the world’s first a specialist ironing attachment. automatic ironing machine. Thou- These would unfold, iron and sands of homes already have wash- re-fold the clothes. ing machines, dishwashers, vacuum The finished system would be cleaners and pop-up toasters, but neatly encased in a small lidded no-one has yet come near to cabinet said Dr Dai. conquering the most hated chore The research received a huge of all – ironing. amount of media interest featuring A team of robotics, mechanical in national and regional newspa-engineering and textile experts pers and a report on the project from King’s and the University of appeared inThe Engineer. Newcastle are working to meet the challenge. With funding from the EPSRC for a feasibility study, they hope to develop a consortium with industrial partners to bid for a big grant to produce a working ironing robot by the end of 2006. The machine, small enough to Pressing issue: be stored under the stairs, would the drudgery of fold as well as iron the clothes. Allironing may become a thing the user would have to do is put of the past. GETTY IMAGES them in a drawer. Team leader Dr Jian Dai, of King’s Mechanical Engineering, said: ‘This would certainly not be an adaptation of an existing robot. It would be a robot built specifically to deal with this task.’ He admitted that the complex nature of ironing made the project ‘hugely challenging’, but was con-fident of success and pointed out that in industry, robotic systems had already been successfully developed to carry out complex tasks. As well as manipulating its iron-ing tools and the clothes them-selves, the machine would have to avoid the common pitfall of burn-ing a hole in the material. ‘The robot needs to know what type of garment it is ironing, so it will have to include some kind of sensor that allows it to recognise
November 2002 |COMMENT| 5
News
US choir tour embers of the College Choir, under the direction of David Trendell, College ofMMusic, have recently returned from a very Organist and Head of the Department successful concert tour of the east coast of America. The tour was made possible by a generous grant from the Development Trust, and was accompanied by the Principal, Professor Arthur Lucas, and Chairman of Council, Lady
Rawlings, who took the opportunity to meet some of the many alumni and friends of the College who attended the performances. The Choir, comprising 25 men and women who study a range of subjects, has an impres-sive reputation. It gives regular concerts both in the UK and abroad, including most recently Caen and Paris, France and Fano, Italy. The Choir often appears on the BBC and has made several recordings including Taverner’sMissa Corona Spinea, nominated for a 2002Grama-phoneaward, and a CD of music by the 16th century Spanish composer Alonso Lobo, to be
Tour party:the Choir in the Church of the Advent, Boston.
Shooting at Monash ollowing the very tragic events at Monash University, OFctober in which two students Clayton Campus on 21 were shot dead and five more were injured, the College would like to extend its deepest sym-pathies to all staff and students of the Monash community. But for the bravery of two other stu-dents who wrestled the gunman to the ground, police say the toll could have been much higher. A man was arrested and it is believed he is a student of the University. King’s and Monash have a ten-year agreement promoting insti-tutional links, and over the sum-mer Monash opened its London Centre at King’s on the Strand in order to develop opportunities for Monash students in the UK and Europe.
6 |COMMENT| November 2002
Teaching Fund ach year, the College Teach-E ing Fund awards money to innovative projects in order to improve the quality and range of teaching at King’s. The Fund is allocated annually by a competition. The College Teaching Commit-tee will be inviting bids to the 2002/03 competition, which is to run in parallel with the allocation of the Teaching Innovation grants, in the New Year. The Teaching Innovation grants are new awards, which form part of the College’s Learning and Teaching strategy and are funded via the Hefce Teaching Quality Enhance-ment Fund. Bids to the Fund in 2001/02 were received from most Schools of the College, and those selected for funding include the following:
• The School of Biomedical Sci-ences was awarded £19,000 for the purchase of an Audience Response System that allows students to vote electronically
released by ASV in January 2003. On tour, the Choir sang a varied programme, including works by J S Bach, William Harris and Alonso Lobo. Large crowds attended the performances, the first of which was at the Church of the Advent, Boston, Massachusetts on 16 Septem-ber. In New York on the following evening, the performance formed part of the presti-gious ‘Great Music’ series held each autumn at St Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue, and a standing ovation was given to the Choir at the Church of the Epiphany on Manhat-tan’s Upper East Side on 19 September. The tour ended with the Choir’s participation in a service at Christ Church, Wilmington DE on 21 September at the invitation of distin-guished alumnus Dr Ed Jefferson FKC, (1950, Chemistry, KCL). Principal Professor Arthur Lucas, said: ‘The tour provided us with a wonderful opportunity to promote King’s along the east coast of the United States, and it gave me immense pleas-ure to see how warmly the Choir was received following each outstanding performance. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the many former students, staff and friends of the College who were able to join us.’
on multiple choice questions during lectures. Similar to the technology that allowsWho Wants to be a Millionairecon-testants to ‘ask the audience’, in this case it will allow lectur-ers to determine immediately whether students have under-stood what has been said to them.
• The Dental Institute was awarded £11,250 to fund a pilot scheme investigating the use of Portable Digital Assis-tants (PDA). These hand-held electronic devices enable students to receive on-line teaching materials, including lectures in webcast form, in a variety of teaching and clinical settings, and also allow enhanced gathering and evalu-ation of feedback on students’ performance.
• The School of Medicine won £21,000 for its project ‘Learning to examine the female pelvis – an innovative approach’. This project will help medical stu-
dents be trained and assessed in conducting a difficult and sensitive procedure through the use of a computerised pelvic model connected to a simulated patient.
For the full results see www.kcl. ac.uk/depsta/quasac/teaching-committee/ctcindex.html#fund
Correction
As part of the Community Links feature inCommentlast month The Damilola Trust awards to Access to Medicine students were highlighted. We should point out the Pool of London Partnership has given approxi-mately £880,000 towards the running of this project until 2007.
Flashback
Robert Bentley Todd ‘Founder’ of King’s College School of Medicine minster Hospital Medical School man he pioneered the microscope and had edited and published the as an instrument of diagnosis and first volume of the five-volume published the famousPhysiological Cyclopedia of Anatomy and Physiology, Anatomy and Physiology of Man the outstanding standard work of (1843). He was the first to describe the period. cirrhosis of the liver accurately, to On his appointment to King’s identify the sensory functions of Todd immediately set about trans- the posterior columns of the spinal forming the medical department. cord and to separate locomotor He was supported by three ataxy from purely motor paraple-successive Principals: Hugh Rose, gias. His name is immortalised in John Lonsdale and Richard Jelf. Todd’s Paralysis, the transient Todd emancipated the staff of the unilateral paresis that may follow a medical department from the focal motor seizure, and he laid the excessive burden of religious tests, foundations of our modern under-improved the medical education standing of epilepsy in his by means of a new curriculum and Lumleian lectures to the Royal by better discipline and supervi- College of Physicians in 1849, sion of medical students, and when he first conceived of the helped introduce the collegiate electrical basis of nervous dis-system and open scholarships. He charges based on the discoveries instituted the position of Dean of his contemporary Michael Fara-and was the first holder of the post day and his own electrical in 1842. (galvanic) experiments in rabbits.
ne of the most distinguished medical professors and O physicians in the history of King’s College is commemorated by a statue outside King’s College Hospital on Denmark Hill.Robert Bentley Todd (1809-1860) was appointed to the Chair of Physi-ology and Morbid Anatomy at King’s in 1836 at the remarkable age of 27. He succeeded in transforming a medical school which, according to The Lancetin 1836 was ‘next to the worst in London’, with only 42 students, into one which, by the time he stepped down as professor in 1853, had 169 students and was
JO FISHENDEN
one of the country’s most respected. He also made outstanding clinical observations and scientific discov-eries, especially in the field of nervous system disorders. Todd was born in Dublin into a large Anglican Irish family. He studied at Trinity College and qualified as a Licientiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ire-land in 1831. He was a pupil of the famous Robert Graves (of Graves’ Disease) in Dublin and in 1833 he gained his BM at Oxford and became a Licientiate of the Royal College of Physicians in London. Before he was appointed to King’s he had helped to found the West-
Campaigning In 1836 King’s College did not have a hospital of its own, the stu-dents being affiliated to the Mid-dlesex, and briefly the Charing Cross, hospitals. Todd led the campaign for the College to have its own hospital. He helped to raise the money and found the site, an old workhouse in Portugal Street near Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where it opened to patients on 1 January 1840. It was soon over-flowing and a new wing was opened in 1854, followed by a complete new hospital on the same site in 1861. Todd was also instrumental in founding in 1856 the first Church of England Nursing Sisterhood, commonly known as St John’s House. Todd became one of the fore-most scientific physicians in the country, especially in the emerg-ing field of nervous system disor-ders. With his pupil William Bow-
Toddy Todd has a reputation for over-pre-scribing alcohol to his patients. The word ‘toddy’ is sometimes attributed to him, although it is in fact an older Hindustani term for a drink of spirits, hot water and sugar. Todd did however give his name to a mixture of canella, brandy, syrup and water. What is often overlooked is that, inspired by his teacher Graves, he was reacting to the currently fashion-able theory of submitting seri-ously ill patients to regular bleed-ing, purging and starvation. Instead, Graves and Todd advo-cated nourishment and stimula-tion, including the stimulating properties of alcohol.
Ted Reynolds Dr Reynolds is former Consultant Neurologist to King’s College Hos-pital and Director of the Institute of Epileptology of King’s College.
November 2002 |COMMENT| 7
In the news
Blair’s dossier
A ballistic missile inspector with the UN Special Commission in Iraq in 1997 and 1998 and now a Senior Lecturer in Defence Stud-ies,Dr Wyn Bowen, wrote an opinion article forThe Indepen-denton Tony Blair’s dossier on Iraq commenting that the Report appeared to draw the British Government’s position closer to that of the US. He was also quoted inThe Guardianon this issue, together withProfessor Bhupendra Jasaniof War Stud-ies, who questioned the claim in the Report that Iraq was attempt-ing to secure ‘significant quanti-ties’ of uranium from Africa. John Garnett, Chairman of the Centre for Defence Studies, in The Financial Timescast doubts as to whether the dossier added anything to what was already known. Though the Govern-ment’s paper provided clear, but not new, evidence of Iraq involvement in weapons of mass destruction it still did not provide the overwhelming proof of hostile intent on the part of Sad-dam Hussein that would con-vince sceptics of the need for military intervention.
Block 9
The Principal,Professor Arthur Lucas, was interviewed on Radio 4’sTodayprogramme prior to the College Council meeting to discuss the sale of Block 9. The Council’s decision to sell to the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charitable Foundation was widely reported in the national press.
Science education
The nature of science education in schools was debated on Radio 4’sLearning Curveprogramme byProfessor Jonathan Osborne,Department of Educa-tion & Professional Studies. He was making the case for changes in the nature and form of science
8 |COMMENT| November 2002
education to meet the needs of all pupils rather than the minority who were likely to become scientists in the future.
Fame then and now
The notion of ‘celebrity’ past and present was analysed in Radio 4’sThe Long View.Dr Christine Kenyon Jones, who lectures in the English Department, dis-cussed the phenomenon in con-nection with the Romantic poet Lord Byron.
Exam stitch-up
An article inThe Independent claimed the following this year’s A level fiasco, the manipulation of exam results is nothing new. Dylan Wiliam, Professor of Educational Assessment and Vice-Principal, emphasised that professional judgement has to be at the heart of any national exam-ination system. He suggested that Britain follow Sweden’s example which uses assess-ments made by teachers and aptitude tests to arrive at grades.
Bioterrorism threat
The threat of conflict with Iraq took a new turn with discussion on bioterrorism and the use of smallpox in Radio 5 Live’sBreak-fast Show, BBC London Live and Sky News.Dr Jo Spear, Senior Lecture in War Studies, was interviewed about the effect such ‘weapons’ would have. She also took part in a CNN magazine programme withAndrew Garfieldfrom ICSA on European reactions to the US Congress’ vote to give President Bush per-mission to go to war. She also talked about the North Korean nuclear programme and other states who may have clandestine nuclear programmes on Radio 5 Live.
Good doctor
What’s a good doctor, and how can you make one? This much-debated issue was tackled by Brian Hurwitz, D’Oyly Carte Professor of Medicine & the Arts, in an article in theBMJ. He concluded that medical educa-tion should marry the skills and sensitivities of the applied scien-tist to the reflective capabilities of the medical humanist.
French law
On Radio 4’sLaw in ActionEva Steinerdiscussed new French legislation allowing the early release of seriously ill prisoners and questioned whether English law should introduce a formal system like that of France. She was commenting in the light of the release of war criminal Maurice Papon who was convicted and imprisoned in 1999 for crimes against humanity and who successfully used the new legislation.
Rash reform
Ragnar Lofstedt, Professor of Risk Management, provided the ‘Expert View’ forThe Indepen-dent on Sunday, in which he said that rash reform will ruin regula-tion. He cited various examples from accountancy to dangerous dogs. He argued for better regu-lation at national and EU levels.
Schizophrenia treatment
New drugs for treating schizo-phrenia which have fewer side effects, and which are the first new treatments for 40 years, have been welcomed, but inGood HousekeepingDr Lyn Pilowsky, IOP and team leader of the South-wark First Onset Psychosis Ser-vice (F1RST), stressed that suf-ferers would continue to require consistent care and advice.
Art of Dying
Following theNature of Death workshop, part of theArt of Dyingseries,Professors Irene HiggensonandJanet Askham were interviewed at length in a discussion piece about preparing for death on Radio 4’sThe World Tonight.
A levels
Before Michael Tomlinson reported on the result of this year’s A level marking,Brian Salter, Deputy College Secretary and Academic Registrar, commented inThe High-eron the College’s position. He doubted that King’s would increase the A level grade requirement, rather the number of conditional offers might be reduced.
Reflections
Professor Sir Graeme Catto, Vice-Principal, appeared on BBC Radio Scotland’sThe Personal Touchspeaking about his life and career, reading a couple of favourite poems and choosing a piece of music to end the programme.
Starting out
Tanya Aplinof the School of Law was the subject of a case study in The Sunday Times. After moving from Cambridge to London her efforts to get on the spiralling property ladder were described.
Top 100
The BBC attempts to find out who is the greatest Briton has prompt-ed media speculation. In theSun-day ExpressDr Jon Wilson, Department of History, said that the list reflected only the whims of the voters and not the contribution of each character to the nation. He then appeared on the BBC World Service'sWorld Todayand BBC Wales This Morning.
Research success put into practice
n 1998, Professors Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam published a review of the literature on formative I assessment. This showed strong evidence that such assessment, focused on the short-term day-to-day feedback between teachers and learners to improve learning, could raise standards of achieve-ment at all levels. They published a booklet to highlight the find-ings and their implications for education policy. CalledInside the Black Box– the title drew attention to the need to focus reform efforts on support for the actual work of teachers in their classrooms. To date over 27,000 copies have been sold. Professor Black said: ‘This work was followed up by a project with 36 teachers in six schools who attempted to turn the ideas gleaned from a wide range of research studies into practices incorporated into their daily classroom work.’ The project was funded by the Nuffield Foun-dation and later the USA National Science Foun-dation as part of a collaboration between King’s and Stanford University. Stanford has been developing similar work with schools in California. Whilst this latest work is being published in the research literature, the King’s group, which Chris-tine Harrison and Bethan Marshall have joined, published a second booklet for teachers,Working Inside the Black Box. This sets out practical advice
KCLSU news HE funding
Developments at Imperial College have led the Students’ Union to step up its ‘Funding the Future’ campaign in anticipation of the imminent release of the Govern-ment review of student finances and higher education funding. What happens in the Govern-ments review of student finances will be in part down to our success as a movement in bringing pressure to bear on min-isters and MPs through our cam-
based on the project’s experience. It was released in July and received widespread publicity. So far, more than 10,000 copies have been sold, many through bulk orders from Local Education Author-ities. Professor Black noted ‘In addition, the advice to all schools being sent out this term by the DfES as part of its new Key Stage 3 initiative draws exten-sively on the King’s work.’ The King’s team also has a contract to contribute to a new educational initiative for the Scottish Min-istry, and they are receiving numerous invitations to contribute to conferences and training courses in the UK and overseas.
paigns with the NUS and ULU. Sabbatical officers have already delivered petitions to Number 10, detailing £210 million of stu-dent debt at King’s alone. Union officers represented students at the NUS lobby of Parliament on 23 October. and the National Demonstration is on 4 December. Breast Cancer
October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Stu-dents’ Union launched our ‘Breast & Testicular Cancer Awareness’ campaign, distribut-ing nearly 10,000 fliers describ-
ing what to look for and how to self-examine and to remind one and all to ‘keep abreast’ and ‘stay on the ball’. Future events
Next month we launch our sexual health awareness week, culminating in World AIDS Day. Things are already gearing up for both RAG weeks: the ‘Strand and Waterloo raising And Giving’ (SWAG), and the massive GKT RAG next February.
David Utting President, Students’ Union
News
News in brief New Department
College Council has approved the formation of a new department in the School of Health & Life Sciences that brings together the teaching strengths of the well-respected MSc Forensic Science programme and the research and casework activities of The Drug Control Centre. The new department, Forensic Science & Drug Monitoring, under the headship of Professor David Cowan, has plans to extend cross-school interdiscipli-nary collaborations. Lecture
Transforming the Public Record Office into the Maughan Library: the archi-tects’ perspective Catriona Boulton and Alan Francis, Gaunt Francis Associates. 17.30, Weston Room, Maughan Library, Chancery Lane. Admission is free, but numbers are limited. For a ticket contact pr@kcl.ac.uk or ext 3202
Raising awareness of KCLSU campaigns
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