Comment 045 May 1990

Page 1

King's College London newsletter

DOUBLE ROYAL CELEBRATIO THE Q EE

A D THE PRI CESS ROYAL BOTH HO 0

R 150 TH A

IVERSARY

1990 is a year of celebration for health care - 150 years ago the fir t King's ollege Ho pital was founded, to which the Iinical Faculties of King' College London were joined. In recognition of thi ignificant landmark variou event have been planned throughout the year marking the contribution King' h made to the development of medicine and denti try and to act a a pring board for the King' Appeal, to be launched later in the year. Two of the e en are reported below and on the next page.

Her Royal Highness The Prince s Royal, Chancellor of the University of London vi itcd King's on 20 March to open the Leeches to Lasers Exhibition held in the Great Hall. The Exhibition was constructed as a time tunnel which The Chancellor was guided through by Dr Dudley Tee, Head of the Department of Immunology and Chairman of the Exhibition Working Party. She was able to ee 150 years of pioneering medical work unfold before her eyes and glimpse the Ho pital as it was in years gone by. On view were hundred of exhibits, photos, ilIustration and medical implements from the last century through to the present day. Her Royal Highne s took great interest in all a peets of the Exhibition and spent much time viewing and talking to those concerned with it. On entering the Exhibition, The Princess Royal was greeted by the first of the 'talking heads', a life size model of the gin swigging Dickensian character, urse Gamp, talking about hospiLallife in the 1840 when the Hospital was just up the

The Princess being led around the exhibition by Dr Dudley Tee. Chairman of the Exhibition Working Party and Senior Lecturer in Immunology. Also in the part were lan Gainsford. Dean of KCSMD and Henry Wentd. Chairman of the Board of SmithKline and Beecham.


RLE -1 Dr Martin Carrier, Wellcome Biotechnology 1.1~ pm Room IB04, trand campu Friday 1 Y OXIDATlVED CAL OLECULES EASE: MEASUREME MECHANIS Profe or Barry Halliwell, Department of Biochemi try, KCL Friday 25 May I OLOGICAL STATUS OF TR SGENIC MlCE CARRY G MBC CLASS II GENES Dr Andrew Melior, alional In titute for Meclical Research Friday 1 June MEMBRANE SKELETO AND NEURO AL GROWTH Dr Diana Mo ,Depanment of Human Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Liverpool 1.15 pm, lla ement Lecture Theatre, Orury Lane

REL TIVE REGULATIO AB CEOFPL MAL POPULATIO Organized by Pro~ Profes or R ay 9.30 am 6 Carlton Hou e Terrace, London lY 5 G If interested plea conta t the Executive Secretary at the abo e addres before the 14 May 1990.

U IVERSITYOF W DO Tuesday 15 May Jacobsen Lecture THE DOGMA THAT DID 'T BARK: A FRAGMENT OF A ATURALISED EPISTEMOLOGY Jerry Fodor, Profe sor ofPhilo ophyat Rutgers University and the City University ew York Graduate Center 5.30 pm, ni er ity of London, Senate House, London WCl (Ru ell quare or alet treet entrance).

FRE CH FARCE WI S ICOLLOQ lA

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING Wedne day 9 May FUNCTIO AL LANGUAGE COMPILERS (PART 2) Simon Croft Wednesday 16 May BOOLEAN CIRCUIT DESIG RITHMS Paul Dunne

ALGO-

Wednesday 23 May SEARCH G FOR NEW DATA REPRESENTATIO S Alan Hutchin on 1.15 pm, Room G02, Strand campus Telcphone ext S2842 or ext S2588 for con fi rm ation

IEXTER

Mike Heath Department of French

LE BAL DES VOLEURS by Jean Anouilh (A Review)

AL PUBLIC LECT RES

THE ROYAL SOCIETY Discussion meeting Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 May

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Students from the French Department achieved a dramatic triumph at the end of the Lent term at the annual Concours de l' art dramatique. sponsored by the French Embassy and held at the French Institute in South Kensington. King's carried off the trophy for 'Best Production', against strong competition from the other London French departments, for their performance of Jean Anouilh's farce Le Bal des Voleurs. This production had previously enjoyed a short run, before appreciative audiences, in the ew Theatre at the Strand.

When all they teach you in French lessons at school these days seems to be how to ask for a string of onions, the prospect of seeing this year's dramatic offering from the King's College French Society would

probably be enough to send mo t of us reaching for Berlitz. Le BaJ des o{eurs ('The Thieve' Carni aI') is what i known in the trade, half apologetically it seems, as early Anouilh. Fir t performed in 1938 it is described as a piece-rose, a term whi h represents a nod in the direction of the a ant-garde, but which i fundamentally a p udonym for comedy. A rather frothy play, it wouldn't win the 'Greatest Plot of the Year Award', but thi absence does at least give free reign to a dextrous verbal interplay between the dozen or so cardboard cut outs who populate the piece, thrust a they are into a contrived situation whence the comic action proceeds. Three thieves a-bumbling, disguised as Spanish grandees, dupe their way into the home of the aristocratic Lady Hurf. While two of the thieves survey the gracious lady's treasure and show they are prepared to live life for the moment, the ideali tic Gustave gets syphoned off into a love entanglement with one of Lady Hurf nieces, Julieue. You can imagine the antics which follow. In addition to our three 'voleur ' we also have a father and son double-act of insolvent financiers, who are likewise keen to fleece our noble madam. Ironically it is they, resplendent in their costumes for the thieves carnival, who get their collars felt when the local 'gendarme' arrives on the scene. This allows two of the 'volcurs' to escape with the booty, while Gustave is left bchind to contemplate the prospect of getting hitched to Juliette. As part of the topsy-turvy nature of events in the play, the carnival of thieves never actually takes place. It merely operates as a useful device to get most of the cast into the wings while the Gustave/Juliette saga works itself ouL Indeed the thieves' carnival turns out to have been a carnival (Ho! Ho!) of leaves. Those of you who like your average piece of thcalre to come packaged with a moral would have been groping in vain with this one, although perhaps the fact that life's a game and worth the playing is all the play evcr seeks to demonstrate. Despitc the nature of the play itself, sterling performances were given by all the principals, doubtless encouraged by a healthy audience augmented by a busload of schoolkids who, laughing at all the wrong bits, nevertheless had a run for


their money. A completely unbiased French Department mole said it was the best production the Society had ever done, indeed the be t play ever een on the College boards; (obviously never saw lolanlhe).

eH Dunwoodie Engli b tudent

UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS TEACHING CO FERE CE The 1990 Annual Conference, which is spon ered by the London Mathematical Society and supported by the Joint Mathematical Council, will Lake place at ollingham University from lunchtime on Monday 3 September until lunchtime on Thursday 6 September. This year four themes are offered: Symbolic Manipulation Packages, Study Materials, The Education of Intending Mathematics Teachers and Updating Study Skills in Mathematics in the light of new technology. Participants are usually nomimated by their department If you require further information please contact J udith Mills on 0602484848 ext 2961 or write to UMTC 90, Shell Centre for Mathematical Education, University of Nottingham, ottingham G72RD.

Dr Hamid Aghvami in the Council Room conducting a lecture on Digital Modulation

MOBILE RADIO COURSE The 21 March saw the Communications Research Group of Electronic and Electrical Engineering running a Joint course with RTT Systems Ltd on Mobile Radio Communications, the course was designed as an introduction for industrial managers and engineers to this fast expanding field. The course was a practical result of our policy of forging links and co-operating with industry. The CRG would like to thank Mr G Varrall of RTT Systems and all those in Central Services and Catering for their help in making this event the success it was. Mr G J H Baker Communications Research Group

MR COMES TO IQ G'S VIET AMESE VISIT Professor V Dan, Vice Minister of Health for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam visited the Pharmacy Department on Monday 2 ApriL Professor Dan was in London to attend the World Ministerial Drugs Summit from 9 to 11 April and had expressed a particular interest in seeing the Departments' work on the analysis and identification of drugs, especially those under the heading 'Vietnam' in the bulletin published by the International arcotics Board in Vienna

Glaxo Group Research (GGR) have donated a NMR spectrometer to the Department of Pharmacy. The spectrometer, originally purchased by GGR for ÂŁ10,000 will be replaced by other equipment in Greenford's Medicinal Chemistry Department. It was installed at the Department of Pharmacy on 13 February by Perkin Elmer engineers who had regularly serviced the machjne. The NMR will be used mainly for postgraduate work oriented towards the design of iron chelating drugs for the treatment of thalassaemia, for the design of tissue imaging agents based on indium and gallium complexes and for the identification of drug metaboHtes. 'We are grateful for the donation because it will give postgraduate students ready access to NMR facilities and reduce the pressure on existing equipment' said Professor Bob Hider from the Department of Pharmacy. 'The equipment will also be used for undergraduate teaching'.

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The Scholarship Committee may decide to di ide the scholar hip between one or more applicants.

D FELLO K

G' T IWA

LI K

The Taihoku Imperial Univer ity wa founded under Japanese rule in 192 ,and wa reorganised as the alional Taiwan University in 1945. It is now recognised as the pre-eminent university in the Republic of China and has 14,600 undergraduates, 2,700 master's and 950 PhD students. The main university campus occupies 284 acres to the south of Taipei, and the university forest and fann covers 83,800 acres. The university is organised into seven colleges: Liberal Arts, Science, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture and Management. These comprise of 47 departments and 58 graduate institutes. Faculty members number 2,250. Re earch of a high standard is conducted in all the colleges and while the traditional outlook in Taiwan ha been to relate with univer ities in the United States, the tendency in recent years has been to seek better European contacts. It is with developing these contacts in mind that King's College has this year agreed an institutional link with the NTU. The link provides for a fellowship scheme, which permits staff exchanges between KCL and NTU, for visits of up to twelve months. Any member of staff who wishes to apply to visit Taiwan, or to invite a colleague from the TU to King's, should contact Dr Abraham S-T Lue, Assistant Principal, for further details.

KI G'S OVERSEAS STUDE T SCHOLARSHIP FU D From 1990 King's College will offer one or more scholarships each year to undergraduate or postgraduate students of the College studying for a degree in any discipline. Each scholarship will be to the value of ÂŁ5,000 per annum and may be used for the payment of fees and/or maintenance.

Applicants may be of any nationality but mu t be a permanent resident in a country outside the European Community and mu t intend to return to their country after completing their course unle they proceed immediately to further academic study or training in the United Kingdom.

pecial materials, apparatus and tra el co ts. Application are considered each term and the next cIo ing date for applications is Friday 7 eptember 1990. Further particulars and application form may be obtained from the Central Research Fund Section, Senate House, Room 21a, Malet Street, London WCIE 700. Tel 6368000 ext 3147.

Applicants must have accepted an offer of admi ion to a degree at the College.

CRErrHES E ROPE FELLOWSHIP

The closing date for applications is 31 May 1990. Further details are available from Mrs Jennifer Jackson, External Liaison Department, Strand campus.

A new fellowship has been set up to promote academic exchanges among European universities.

J IOR RESEARCH ST DE TSHIPS 1990/91 ominations are invited from Departments/Divisions for Junior Research Studentships in the Schools of Education, Engineering, Humanities, Laws, Life, Basic Medical and Health Sciences and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The Junior Research Studentships scheme offers students of the highest calibre who enrol for an MPhil/PhD on a full-time basis, a maintenance allowance at the current Research Council grant level plus ÂŁ500 per annum. In addition, tuition fees at the 'home' rate are waived. Award holders may be expected to undertake a minimal amount of teaching in return. For further details, please contact Liz Auden-Davies, Assistant Registrar (Academic Services) on extension 2686. The closing date for nominations is 1 June 1990.

It is a joint initiative between the Conference of Rectors, Presidents and ViceChancellors of the European Univer ities (CRE) and the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES). The fellowship is open to all staff, academic and administrative and will be administered by the CRE. The award could be used for such things as: a) the attachment of a member of staff, academic or administrative, to another university b) a short study tour c) an exchange of staff between such universities d) an attachment to another European university of a graduate or advanced student for research projects or training programmes. For leaflets please contact: Anne Hogarth, Promotions Manager, The Times Higher Education Supplement, Priory House, StJohn's Lane, London ECIM4BX.

EAST MEETS WEST CE TRAL RESEARCH FU D The Central Research Fund has been instituted for the purpose of making grants to members of the University (other than present undergraduate students and those registered for a taught Master's degree) engaged on specific projccts of research, to assist with the provision of

To mark the occasion of the visit to London of His Excellancy Mr VacIav Havel, President of Czechoslovakia, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in collaboration with the University of London have set up a programme of postgraduate awards for students from Czechoslovakia to study at the University.


Up to 20 awards for courses and attachments of up to one year's duration, will be available from 1990. The awards will be known as the Masaryk Scholarships in memory of Thomas Masaryk (1850-1937), the former President of Czechoslovakia, who was also the first Professor of the School of Slavonic Studies founded at King's College in 1915.

College appearance I am delighted to see that the College is currently revising its visual identity, viz. new coat of arms. What a pity that upon entering the College, prospective students and visitors still encounter the real visual identity, viz. poorly decorated rooms, inadequate and badly produced signposts, cracked and broken windows, boxes and furniture carelessly stored in public spaces etc. David Green Department of Geography

ews of Mark Bailey Please note my son Mark Bailey has now moved to the following address: 1 Tennyson Road, Diss, Norfolk IP22 3PY. On my retirement a short time back he decided to return home to my wife and I, after sharing home and being looked after by my daughter. We appreciate receiving the monthly newsletter from the College, and also for all cards received at Christmas. His condition has changed very little, some days the MS takes its toll and naturally he is very tired. Mr Ken Bromfield does keep in touch and has been a very great help and a good friend to us all.

A F Bailey

All Mark'sfriendsat King's College would like 10 take this opportunity 10 send him their best wishes.

early every Monday morning during the fishing season he would arrive at my desk, lean against the wall and tell me in a slow, quiet voice about his fishing exploits of the previous weekend. As I have absolutely no interest in fishing, I found his tales extremely boring. He never thought to ask me about my interest in the sport, but would drone on endlessly about his weekend by the river. About the size, type and number of fish, the current, the weather and even the contents of his sandwiches. One Monday morning as he leaned against the wall and cleared his throat in preparation for his monologue, I decided that I could bear it no longer and that, without hurting his feelings, I would have to halt the flow. ,You have never asked me if I fish', I said. He looked surprised, 'Oh no, I haven'tdo you?' 'No,but once, many years ago I fished for several days in succession and caught an enormous amount of fish without using a rod or net.' He had become interested and temporarily abandoned his own tale. 'Where were you fishing and how did you catch so many fish?' 'It was on a small lake in Germany during the last war, but perhaps I should explain the unusual circumstances. ' In those far off days I was the leader of a reconnaissance troop of the Royal Armoured Corps. We had been far in advance of Squadron HQ for many days and as we reached the limit of radio communication, we had been ordered to halt our advance and to await further orders which might not come for several days. No fresh food supplies had reached us for a considerable time and we were all heartily sick of corned beef, tinned stew, tinned sardines, hard biscuits and porridge. Trooper MacTavish who sometimes, illadvisedly, took on the duties of troop

cook was infamous, amongst other things, for his impossibly salty porridge, tried to improve the situation by mixing several things together and by heating the mixture over our small petrol stoves. Unfortunately not only was the resulting mess less appetising than the original ingredients, but a small dispute arose over who was responsible for allowing MacTavish to become involved. However, it was a pleasant place, sufficiently well-wooded to provide cover for our tanks and within 200 yards of a small lake, which I was certain would contain fish. There were no fisherman in the troop and no angling equipment, but I was sure that we would find a way to extract the fish. Luck was with us when I discovered a small flat-bottomed, iron boat floating in the reeds on the far side of the lake and the troop sergeant, who was an expert at living off the land, had an original idea. We paddled to the middle of the lake and then dropped two hand grenades over the side of the boat. The result was quite dramatic as large numbers of small fish, stunned by the underwater explosions, floated to the surface. A miscellaneous collection of small fish fried in army margarine may not seem much of a delicacy today, but then it tasted like ambrosia. Bonyambrosia perhaps, but ambrosia nevertheless. Our activities were strictly against army regulations, but we were isolated from everything and everyone. The civilian population had fled, we were many miles in front of our own forces and the enemy was nowhere in sight. The weather was warm and sunny and temporarily, for us, peace reigned. Two days later our peace was shattered by the arrival of a despatch rider with a message from the adjutant ordering me to report to him immediately. With great trepidation I mounted the pillion of the motor bike and was driven back to regimental HQ which was situated several miles behind Squadron HQ in an abandoned farmhouse. To my relief the adjutant greeted me with a smile and asked after my healLh. With some hesitation, I assured him of my well-being and waited for whatever else was to come.


'The CO is entertaining the General to dinner tomorrow night,' he said, 'and he would like you to do him a favour.' As a young Lieutenant, this was completely outside my experience. I had ne er had a commanding officer ask me for a favour and I couldn't see what part I could possibly play in the Colonel' social arrangements. I was becoming quite apprehen ive again when he dropped hi metaphorical bombshell. 'He would like fi h for the fust course.' 'He would like what?' I blustered. He laughed. 'Come of it, Don, I know what you are up to. Send out a fishing party and don't keep all the big ones for yourself.' The next day I sent out an official, and very successful, fishing party. There was a long silence when I had finished my tale. My visitor obviously strongly disapproved of my fishing exploits, but I felt that perhaps his disapproval was tempered by the suspicion that my tale might not be true and that I might be pulling his leg. He made no comment apart from, 'I'd better be going,' and walked off. I was right to assume that my story would stop his monologues. Re has now left the College, but he never embarked again on a fishing story and neither shall I. Don Mindel Atkins Reception, Kensington

KI G'S LAME T In glorious splendour it stands, a home for educating man. This great old school along the Strand. For centuries it stands in a sea of dust To teach man to learn and trust, The Rich, the poor, it is a must no matter who, Doctors and priests and teachers too. Go forth with learning old and new For what if a man has wealth and gold, It will not mean much when he is old. For all his wealth is of no amount Can help him if he cannot count. We teach all men who want to learn, to

Reach the top of the learning tree. And you cannot bear the fruit, without your decree So come to King's you ho seek the knowledge And teach the world throughout the ages. HP Hanvey Che ham Porter

NEWS ROUND UP CO FERE CEREPORT PUBLISHED A conference report on the St Catharine's Conference held at Cumberland Lodge in ovember 1989 on 'Autonomy in the Universities' has now been published. Copies are on sale via Cumberland Lodge and are also available in the Library. The Conference brought together academics and others with a concern for the way in which recent changes in the functing of higher education seem to be threatening university autonomy and the role traditionally played in the British educational system.

POSTGRAD ATE B LLET The summer edition of the 'Postgraduate Bulletin', issued by the Central Services Unit, will be publi hed on 31 May 1990. Anyone who wishes to publicise new or unfilled courses, or allocated research council studentships the copy date for this next issue is 16 May. For further details please contact Anne Earley at the Central Services Unit, Crawford House, Precinct Centre, Manchester M13 9EP. Tel061 2734233.

RV G SHORT COURSES FORI DUSTRY A new book 'Running Short Courses for Industry: a beginners guide' has been published which is aimed at academics, of whatever discipline, involved in 'selling' their knowledge and skills in the market place. This new publication takes the reader step by step through the setting up of a course through to building up a relationship with a client company.

The address to obtain copies is as follows: Cumberland Lodge, The Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 2HP. Telephone (0784) 432316, 434893 and 439258.

Copies of the book, which was written by Joan van Emden of Reading University and Elizabeth Barber of Reading College of Technology, are available from Jove Publications, 23 The Mount, Christchurch Road, Reacting, RG 1 5HL, price ÂŁ3.80 plus 30p packing and postage. Cheques with order please.

BUGGS

REMEMBER REGGIE

The British Universities' Guide to Graduate Study 1990-91 has now been published. It provides all the essential information careers officers and students from home and overseas need to choose courses of further study in British universities. The guide provides five sections which cover such areas as i) fees, grants and awards ii) a directory of graduate taught courses, iii) university profiles, iv) an A-Z index of course titles and subject groups v) and a map showing the location of university towns in the UK. All in all the guide is a useful, quick and easy reference. The Guide is available from The Association of Commonwealth Universities, 36 Gordon Square, London WC1R OPF and costs ÂŁ19.95 (postage is free in Britain.

ow that Reggie has come out of the closet and has been restored to his former glory, it's time to tell the truth about our beloved mascot. You can help by sending your photos, comments, quotes, anecdotes ete to the Alumnus Office at the Strand campus. All will be revealed in the next issue of In Touch.

HOUSEHOLD CHOICES An exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum J udith Sixsmith, a research assistant on the European Commission DRIVE project in the Department of Geography and Andrew Sixsmith, a former geography


postgraduate student, a teacher on the King's MSc in Gerontology course and now at the University of Liverpool, have been invited to contribute a photographic account of their research on the meaning of home, to an exhibition titled 'Household Choices' at the Victoria and Albert Museum, from 28 February to 3 July. For a number of years they have both been examining the meaning and experience of the home environment, Juclith from the point of view of a psychologist and Andrew from that of a human geographer. Their specific interest has focused on the effects of life events and transitions on patterns of dwelling amongst elderly people and the unemployed. The exhibition represents a shift in perspective by the V&A away from considerations of formal design and architecture towards the human qualities involved in the experience of design and of lay participation in the design process.

BRIDE OF THE YEAR Joely Irlam, a student in Physiology and Pharmacology at King's, was recently named Bride of the Year by 'Wedding and Home' magazine. She won prizes

Geography student John Hughes - they met in a bar at King's! The happy couple are now looking forward to their wedding in August and the honeymoon. As JoeJy said: 'Two students on a trip to Barbados! It's fabulous.'

The cost is £16.50 per person - this includes ticket, meal, wine or soft drinks, coffee and programme.

SPAIN BEYOND RIOJA A tasting of Spanish table wines from regions other than Rioja will be held on the King's Road site in the Common Room, Hudson Building on Friday 11 May at 6.30 pm. The cost is £6.50 per person. Please apply to John Barker on 872 3080 or 872 3170 by the morning of the 11 May.

QUEEN ELIZABETH (KENSINGTON) BRANCH KCLA Dr Tom Sanders will be giving members of the QE (K) Branch the pragmatist's view of eating in his lecture entitled"Getting Away With It' on Wednesday 16 May at the Kensington campus. All are welcome whether or not they are members of the branch. This will be the fifth May lecture since the merger, others in the series have been varied and of general interest: 'Bitter Cold' an expedition to the Antartic, 'Towards an Elixir of Life' , 'Book Lice', and last year 'Lord Macaulay Died Here' - the random reOections on the demise of QEC given by John Rivers who sadly died last December. The Lecture starts at 7.00 pm in the Physiology Lecture Theatre, Kensington campus. Light refreshments are available at a cost of £2.50 as well as a Cash Bar. All enquiries to Dr Sally Taylor K4555 or Pat Cox 0734783377.

KCLA SUMMER EVENT All dressed in white!! Joely, preparing for the big day in August. worth more than £23,000 including a £3,000 wedding dress, £3,000 worth of jewellery and a honeymoon in Barbados. Joely, who was entered for the competition by her mother, will marry King's

Verdi's Requiem given by the combined choir of the Tring and Ely Choral Societies and professional soloists. Coffee will be served after the performance at around 9.15 pm.

This year's KCLA Summer Event will take place on Saturday 9 June in St Albans Abbey. Members of staff are welcome to attend and bring guests. The evening will begin at 6.30 pm with a buffet supper in the Abbey Refectory and will be followed by a performance of

We are thinking about providing a coach from the Strand campus to St Albans. The cost would be between £3.50 and £6.00 per person, depending on the number of people making use of the service. Please contact the Alumnus Office, Room 2B, Strand campus, ext S2083, as soon as possible, if you would like to come.

MOUNT EVEREST CLIMBER AT KING'S Professor John West MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of California, is to visit King's College, Strand campus on Tuesday 8 May. Professor West was the leader of the American Medical Research Expedition to Mount Everest in 1981. This was the first time an expedition was arranged to climb Mount Everest for the purpose of conducting scientific and medical research. Five members of his team reached the summit and made unique physiological measurements there. Come and hear Professor West speaking about 'Physiological Responses to Extreme Altitude' on Tuesday 8 May at 2.15 pm in the Large Anatomy Theatre, Room 11F, 3rd Floor Main Building, Strand campus. All welcome.

WOMEN'S NETWORK After a very successful social at the end of last term, five meetings have been arranged for this term, on the following dates: Tuesday 1 May Thursday 17 May Thursday 31 May Tuesday 12 June Thursday 28 June All meetings will be in G03 on the


ground floor of the Strand Building, at l.OO pm. Social get-togethers are planned for the fust, third and fmal meeting with more formal discus ions at the second and fourth. The days are varying to try and give all Strand based women the opportunity to come along, if only for part of the time. Alas, women working away from the Strand site may not be able to come to meetings but please keep in touch, and we look forward to seeing you all in Thameside day . For more information, or to comment/ make uggestions, please contact, Flora Kerrigan on tel 928 8930 or Ann Lees on ext S2186 or 8732186.

SMALL ADS TO LET Pimlico, very quiet near tube, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom maisonette with roof terrace, suitable for a family, fully equipped, ÂŁ320.00 per week including utilities and cleaning. Available end of August for 4 months. Telephone ext K4317.

Furnished, centrally heated, 3 bedroomed house. 3 minutes from Chiswick Park tube station in quiet road with garden. Would suit visiting academic for 6 months/year. ÂŁ400 per month + bills. Please contact 730 6734.

COMPUTER EQUIPME T Two old Vector Graphics micro computers. These run under CPM and come with a word processing package. Two old Qume daisy wheel printers. Two acoustic printer covers suitable for matrix or daisy wheel type printers. If anyone is interested please contact Peter Anning on ext 52603.

Sizing up the mock up of a 1930's denial surgery with Professor Gelbier, Senior Lecturer in Community Dental Health.

The Princess leaving after her tour of 'Leeches to Lasers' and the Reception in the Council Room.

Comment is the College's regular staff newsleuer, issued by the Information Office ((ext 2179)) three times a term, with special editions if required. Contributions are warmly welcomed from any members of the College. For example profiles of people or areas of interest, news of events, views on College mauers, photos, cartoons, items of sale, puzzles or quizzes. Comment is sent to all staff and made freely available through the Student Union. Copy dates and and publication dates are published at the end of each issue. The copy date for the next issue is I June 1990 for publication in the week beginning 11 June 1990. .

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1840s when the Hospital was just up the road, opposite Lincoln's Inn Fields, and contained only 50 beds - some of which often held two or more patients at a time! The next set she was shown was the reconstruction of a nineteenth century operating theatre at the height of the Lister anti-sepsis period - complete with live leeches! After Joseph Lister's appoimmentto KCH in 1877, as Profesor of Clinical Surgery, surgical mortality rates on his ward dropped from 50% to 1.5%. A slide show depicting public health during the war years was the next era of medicine shown to the Chancellor: a time when King's was London's fourth military hospital. The irony of these times was that major medical breakthroughs were made as a resuIL of the research developed to help the wounded of the carnage of the Great War. The tour then moved on to the mockup of a dental surgery of the 1930s, on display were the latest instruments and tools of the day - and you thought you were afraid of the dentist in 1990! The next set concerned tuberculosis and its treatment, another living image of a nurse described how patients were cared for and the treatment they received. The Chancellor then entered the contemporary part of the time tunnel where a fully functioning kidney dialysis machine was connected up to a model of a human torso and photographs of all the various stages of a liver transplant operation were on display. The final set was the last living image describing King's 2000 medical equipment of the future it is hoped the hospital will obtain and the blueprint for future healthcare. Greater emphasis will be on preventative care and early diagnosis, an integrated information network to link GPs and other healthcare workers in the community with specialist teams in the Hospital, and the maintenance of a first class system of research, education and training.

WESTMI STER ABBEY SERVICE OF CELEBRATIO As part of the continuing celebrations for King's College Hospital, a service ~fThan~足 giving to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of King's College Hospital and Its Clinical Medical School was held at Westminster Abbey on 4 April.

Allended by the Queen (as Patron of King's College Hospital), HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH Princess Alice of Gloucester, the Service was officiated by the Dean of Westminster, assisted by the Reverend Alan Luff, Precentor. The congregation, made up of past and present mem bers of the Hospital, Medical School and College, representatives of the local community and families and friends, filled every available seat in the Abbey to join in this joyful celebration. The theme of the Service was set by three readings emphasizing the strong bonds between caring medicine and scientific education. Sir John Peel, former President of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, and Surgeon-Gynaecologist to HM The Queen and Emeritus Consulting Obstetrician and Gynaecologist to King's College Hospital, read from a lecture given in 1852 by Sir Robert Bently Todd, MD FRS, co-. founder of the Medical School, on The Resources of King's College London for Medical Education. This was followed by a reading from the preface of the first edition of The Diabetic Life by Dr R D Lawrence, published in 1925 by Dr Wilfred Oakley, cofounder of the Diabetic Department at KCH and Emeritus Physician, KCH. Sir James Black, obel Laureate and Professor of Analytical Pharmacology, read extracts from Biomedical Science and Human Health: the long range proposal by Lewis Thomas (Daedalus) 1977. Miss Lola Oni, Health Advisor, Sickle Cell Unit and Miss Susan Walden, a medical student at KCSMD read the lessons and The Right Reverend Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford (and former Dean of King's College 1981-87) gave the Sermon. Prayers were offered by several people, including The Reverend Canon Reginald Askew, Dean of King's and The Archbishop of Canterbury. A special part of the service was the procession to the High Altar by repres~ntatives of the hospital carrying artefacts portraying past and present developments whIch have taken place there, together with plans for the future.

If you missed the Exhibition while it was on at the Strand, there is still a chance to see it at the Livesey Museum, The Old Kent Road, London SE15, from June onwards. (Further pictures on page 16)

2

At the ReceplionJollowing the tour, in the Council Room.


STAFF NEWS I

RD PPO Prof or Richard orabji of the Department of Philosophy h won the Comell Univer ity Press Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Boo 19 91990 for his book Matter, Space and Motion. Dr iolet Leaver (Department of Phy ics) and Mr Doron Ben-Tzvi and Dr Mark andler (Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering) have been awarded a prize for the paper with 'greatest indu Lrial potential' at the recent Alvey Vi ion Conference (AVC89). Their Paper was entitled 'A Dynamic Combinatorialllough Transform/or Slraighl Lines and Circles' . Mi nn Conlon Head of Student Counselling and Welfare Services, has been awarded an Administrative Travelling Fellowship by the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Dr Douglas R Higgs has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (Medicine) by the University of London. Dr Edward A Little has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science by the University of London.

Mr John L Dawson, Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine has been made Sergeant Surgeon to Her Majesty the Queen effective from 23 February 1990. Dr John Wriggle worth from the Division of Biomolecular Sciences has been elected for a term of 3 years to the University of London Senate from 1 September 1990.

I OBITUARIES Ray Denne It was with a great sense of shock that we lC8,ITled of the tragic and sudden death of Ray Denne on 12 March 1990. Ray and •...

his ife, Kaye, were returning from a long eekend in De on when their vehicle left the motorway. Kaye was thrown clear and uffered a fe cuts and bruises, but Ray u tained a heart att.a k and died in tanuy. Ray joined Chelsea College in December 1972 as a carpenter and more or I immediately was promoted to Carpentry Supervisor, a po ition he occupied for the r t of hi College career. After five years' appren~ce hip as a Coachbuilder with Southern Railways, Ray spent the next sixteen years in the RAF, rising to the rank of Sergeant. There followed a five year period with F W Barnard Ltd as a general foreman, after which Ray joined the College. Ray's amiability and popularity was not confined to Estates activities. After the amalgamation in 1985 Ray's responsibilities extended to the Kensington campu as well, and colleagues from several departments there became familiar with Ray's easy-going nature and jovial outl k on life. For tho e who didn't know him that well there was alway a danger of taking Ray too seriously, particularly if he'd just heard a 'rumour' or two. Ray's wit, smile and courtesy will be sorely missed. Ray had just started to plan seriously for his retirement. He had a great love of the water and was considering a life on narrowboats. He was quite happy pottering around on canals, walking his dogs and enjoying the outdoor life. To Ray's wife Kaye we extend our deepest sympathy. lan Blair Estates Department

Henry Arthur Harvey 9 April 1915 - 9 March 1990 Harry Harvey joined King's College London in ovember 1931 as a Junior Assistant in the Library not long after leaving Holloway School. Paid the princely sum of ÂŁ1.00 per week with the promise of increments of 5 shillings per year, his early duties included running backwards and forwards from one of the few telephones available in College to ;;;

con ey messages from the Librarian. The Library at thi time had only three other taff including the Librarian. Hi efficien and enthu iasm ere noted at an early tage but few perhap ould ha e gu ed, ith the exception of servi e in the ar, h would serve the College devotedly 0 er a fifty ear period. Already promoted before the outbreak of war he also obtained an honour degree in English through evening classes in th College. At the outbreak of war, when part of the College was evacuated to Bri tol, he a sisted with establi hing a working library ofabout7,fXXJ volume In the Great Hall at Bri tol University. Called up in 1940 he saw active service with the Royal Artillery in Italy but al 0 gained useful library experience when, in 1945, he was seconded to the Army Education Corps and put in charge of the Army Educational Book Depot at aples. Later he was po ted to Klagenfurt, Au tria, as Command Librarian to establi h a Library from scratch without equipment or accommodation. Given that the Bristol Library collection wa entirely destroyed by an incendiary bomb this was arguably u eful experience. To thi experience Harvey added the professional qualification of As ociate of the Library As ociation in 1954. In the post war years Harvey' main achievements were in the areas of the Library's Science collection for which, in 1959, he became entirely responsible. Not least of these achievements was the reconstitution of Professor Charles Wheatstone's Library and the building upon it of a larger and prestigious History of Science collection . In 1970 Harvey was appointed to the personal title of Senior Assistant Librarian in recognition of his long and devoted ervice to the College Library. Long service, a tenacious memory and abiding passion for facts also meant that over the years Harvey was the focus of many enquiries concerning the history of the College. In 1975 this skill, together with his identification of a variety of scientific manuscripts and archive collections, were to lead to his appointment as part-time College Archivist In this post he played a major role in arranging the exhibition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the College. He was made a Fellow of the College in 1978. Harry Harvey will perhaps be best

3


remembered by many for hi impi h humour and talent as a raconteur. Few, who heard hi stories about College life, could fail to be amused by his descriptions of 'the ubtle blend' of an ambitious organi t practising Widor on one side of the Library and a rendition of the Mikado on the other and the relief experienced when both gave way to the barrel organist who taned up in SlTand Lane, or, his description of a former Professor of Imperial History who 'stomped' through the Library followed by his students who he addre sed 'in tones worthy of a skipper of a orth Sea trawler in a gale'. He will be adly missed by his friends. Patricia Methven College Archivist Ilenry flarvey is to be remembered at College Eucharist on 23 May.

ITRAI I G COLUM

the reputation of your department?

Training, are you getting your share? More and more people at King's are taking advantage of the training opportunities open to staff. All courses advertised in Comment and elsewhere have been full and some have been repeated as a resulL of the high demand. For example the advanced features Microsoft Word course wa repeated three times; the Selection Skills course was filled twice and another is being planned. Recent discussions with staff have suggested subtle changes in approach to training, particularly their motives for attending courses. Staff are realising that lTaining can be of value La their own career development and not just as a way of improving their skills. Personal motivation, it seems, is one of the main reasons for the exlTa demand for training.

Thi new cour e provide an opportunity for participants La discuss and practiee the skills of criticism and will address and examine a framework for generating a po itive aUitude. The course will be led by Roger Mayhew (Training Services). All staff are invited La apply for this course (or uggest it to one of your colleagues - if you dare).

KIT Course ews A general synopsi of courses available are in the last issue of Comment (No 44) and in PLUTO.

Jack Rumbell I am sure colleagues and friends of Jack

Rumbell, both past and present, will be sad to learn of his death on 8 April, aged 63. Unfortunately, Jack had to leave the College in December 1987 due to ill health, having run the stationery stores for nearly 13 years. Even after he suffered a severe heart attack he returned to King's and, being the character he was, still had a mile and time for a friendly word for everyone he met. Before joining King's he had been a sergeant in the Royal Artillery and his service with the regiment took him to Korea, Malaysia and Germany. After leaving the Army he spent some time in Canada before coming to King's. Our condolences to Valerie, his widow, whom he met at King's. John Harper Department of Geography

Valerie has asked us to thank everybody for the kindness which has been shown to her at this sad time. She regrets that she is unable to wrile personally to everyone and would like this to be accepted as her acknowledgement.

4

Course for Security Staff 10 May, Strand campus This course has been heavily oversubscribed and will therefore be repeated in June. Everyone on the waiting list will be given the chance to enrol. Newapplications will be accepted directly. Oxygen and pH Electrodes 16 May, Kensington campus We shall be joined by technicians from other parts of the University for the morning seminar. A few more applications from King's technical staff can be accepted. Constructive Criticism 26 June, Kensington campus We all have to give and receive criticism during the cour e of our work. Have you ever thought how well you cope with this? Can you criticise effectively or do you put it off and hope that the problem will go away, and later regret the ill thought out remarks that are often blurted out under pressure. If others criticise you, how does it affect you? Does it hurt when you are laid that your brilliant new idea is useless or that your work performance or behaviour i less than exemplary? Have you ever thought that the way you give or receive criticism could effect your personal and profes ional image or even

Workshop: How to Conduct Effective Meetings 12 July, SlTand campus This workshop is a joint venture between myself and Robert Poller, the Academic Staff Development and Training Coordinator. It is intended for staff who lead or chair meetings and who feel they could improve their technique. Following the work hop, participants should be able, as chairpersons La: 1) Clearly identify the various functions and purposes of meetings; 2) Gain an improved understanding of the interpersonal dynamics which are common in meetings; 3) Prepare relevantly for the meeting; 4) Conduct meetings more effectively (dealing with people and with issue ); 5) Follow up meetings appropriately eg ensuring action on decisions.

The course will be led by Pam Denicolo and Maureen Pope from Surrey University. Pre路retirement Training Twelve members of staff have attended pre-retirement courses at other London Colleges during April. There is clearly a growing awareness about the significance of preparation for this important pha e in our lives. Robert Poller and I intend to co-ordinate this type of training at King's. A seminar has been arranged for 9 July at 2.00 pm in the Strand Council Room for people who are approaching retirement age. The purpose of the seminar is to enable us to focus on relevant issues with help and advice from you and later design the King's College pre-retirement programme according La the wishes of participants. Ken Bromfield on Academic Staff Training Officer


DE He TAFF

D

I

LOP 1E T

the fir t round of appraisal are ompleLed the demands for training and de 'elopment ti itie are beginning to arnve. These ill be discus ed in a future anicle but, in the meantime, I hall be pi ed to speak with anyone regarding theu individual requiremenlS and how be t to meet them. All taff who took up appointmenlS on or after I January 1990 will be receiving an invitation to a new-style one day Induction Course to be held on 28 September 1990. I shall be writing to Head of DeparunenlS asking them to forward invitation to staff whose employment begin on 1 October 1990. Unle they already have exten ive experience of univer ity teaching all new staff are urged to attend the Course for Lecturers held at the Institute of Edueation from 10- 14 September 1990. Other cour e which will run at King's in the near future are Succe fu1 Application for Re carch GranlS on 22 May and Interviewing, Selection and Recruitment of StudenlS on 23 May. Several member of taff have already expressed an interest in the university course on Entrepreneurial and Marketing Activities to be held from 9 - 10 July. Courses at the College which are open to all categories of taff (organised joinLly with the Training Officer for onAcademic Staff) are A Workshop on Chairing Meetings on the 12 July and Preretirement (preliminary session on 9 July; invitations will be sent shorLly). If you would like to know more about any of the e courses, or any other aspect of training and development, I shall be pleased to hear from you. Robert Poller Academic taffTraining and Development Co-ordinator.

Members of the King's Campus Vacation Bureau working hard at 'Holiday World Dublin'showing visitors the delights of staying at King's when visiting London. The Vacation Bureau shared a stand with the London Tourist Board at the exhibition which took place between 24 - 28 January this year.

DIVISIO AL AD The administration of the Division of Biomolecular Sciences has re-located and i now based in the Administrative Centre on the fourth noor of the ALkins Building at Kensington (rooms 422-430) and all business and correspondence dealing with divisional matters should now be addressed there. A complete list of non-technical administrative responsibilities on the various sites, together with telephone numbers, is given below: Kensington Professor R M Simmons (Head of Division) Mr D M Drummie (Divisional Administrator) Mrs Ann Hussain (Divisional Secretary)

4553 4550 4312

Professor M C Scrutton (Head of Site; Head of Biochemistry Section)

4422

Facsimile

0713334141

Drury Lane Professor Simmons i Head of Site and Director of MRC Muscle and Cell Motility Unit and Mr Drummie will continue to deal with the Drury Lane site and MRC Unit matter Professor Simmons Mr Drummie Miss Sima Saremi (Site Secretary)

78234 78236 78241

TITLE CHA GE

Facsimile

0714979078

Mr R S Thirunamachandran's title Administrative Assistant (Database and Planning) has been changed to Research Database Administrator, effective from 16 March 1990. The scope of his duties and re ponsibilities remain as before.

Strand Professor B Halliwell (Acting Head of Site) Mrs Barbara Walker (Site Secretary)

2486 2400

Facsimile

071872 0205


KI G'SAND T-MARY-LE~STRAND Preciou Antique Mo t of the really old bits of London's architectural history are in the care of the Church of England. lames Gibbs, the mo t important church architect in the first half of the 18th century, built St Mary-Ie-Strand, St Martins-in-the-Field , and the spire of St Clement Dane. The care of such conspicuous pieces of London' landscape, our heritage, is a very interesting task. The exterior of St Mary-le-Strand is an outsLanding example of 18th century work; but inside is what an antique collector would know as \\ rong. Maybe the font, the pulpit and the communion rail belong. Mo t of the re t of the furniture is Victorian. lL would not be impossible to restore an 18th century look to the interior. Some conservationists would carefully remove the Victorian fittings and leave it at thal Some would favour an elegant faking of pews in the style of Adams, and a painting by Hogarth. But they would all see it as a church; and would want to restore it as a church. No one walking down the Strand would dream that St Mary-leStrand was anything but a church. It is too lovely to become a redundant church, or a ruin. But the Church of England has more of these items than care to lavish upon them. How willingly would England find a new patron, benefactor and guardian for St Mary-Ie-Strand! King's College, a caretaker with its own clergy, choir, and congregation! It is a dream! However dismal the reputation of the College for post-war architectural taste, no financial officer of the established Church would hesitate to convey the gem on our doorstep to us in perpetuity.

Chapel perilous But who would build a College Chapel, in the busiest street in London, on a traffic island? How would the worshippers get into it? The obvious moment is when the now of vehicles is so congealed that it is hardly moving at all. That happens all the time in the Strand. But, the problem of holding rush-hour services is that although it is possible to pick your way through stationary traffic to get to the church, the noise is then at its greatest, and the air almost pure carbon monoxide.

6

So the chapel door could not be opened to let you in. Everyone knows how perilous it is to kneel down in a small room full of carbon monoxide. How ab urd, then, to aLlend a church so noisy that you are unable to hear a warning from the pulpit that it is dangerou to kneel down just now! To be on the afe side, services would have to be conducted very early. Monks are awake. The ervice is called Prime. Are univer ity students up to it? Who would build a College Chapel out of 18th century ashlar which is in a continuous state of agitation? The stones of StMary-Ie-Strand did not always tremble. Gibbs did not need to estimate the progress of traffic vibration disease on old masonry. When he perched that preLly balustrade upon his wedding cake church, few cows plodded, Life Guards trOlled, and the Duke of Somerset House bowled past the architect four in hand. Today's surveyor of the fabric says the balustrade must be taken down carefully, before it crumbles into the laps of motorists. Could the owner of such a fine chapel, his heirs and successors, keep rebuilding and rebuilding and sending the bill to the Minister of Transport? I have heard of bridges and tunnels spoken of for safe access to the traffic island. It would be cheaper to take down Gibb's building altogether; and to put the old lady up again safely, out of the delirium of the traffic, in the courtyard of King's College. But who would build an 18th century chapel, small and exquisite, for the 20th century alumni of a Thameside campus? Is research assisted by old fashioned apparatus? We love museums and art galleries. We go to Chapel for other reasons. Gibbs made a shrine for the Book of Common Prayer. lL would be a terrible pity to spoil il Modem liturgy can make room for 18th century prayer; it should not be entirely dominated by that era, by itsbeauty, and by its graceful antiquity, by its confident English voice, and classical cadences. The fabric of St Mary-Ie-Strand would impose upon College worship substantial pressure. It could be calm and benign, subLle, excellent and accommodating in the way that a well printed page supports prose. But it could offer an illusion, just at a time when academic theologians would wish us to think critically about Christianity. lL could convey the beguiling impre sion

that religion was there and then; not here and now. Some of thi argument about the effect of the architecture on the sen e of worship could be aimed at the present College Chapel. But the present College Chapel is ours; and that i the difference. Be ide as a piece of architecture our Chapel is altogether more modest, not to be compared with the masterpiece in the Strand. Big Advantages The College Chapel is a big room in the middle of the College. lL is a valuable quiet space, always open; has a great organ, unique Victorian panelling, and bold arcades. The Deans, my predecesors, were giants. But one of them, in the black-outs of the 1940s, put up lighting which might have come from the Odeon Cinema. Another put down lino, economically; but painted the pillars as extravagantly blue-green as a peacock's neck. (This says nothing about the Dean who let down the ceiling to accommodate his scientific friends in the roof). One of our advantages is that the practice of holding daily prayers in the College building is an unbroken custom since the Chapel was opened in 1831. The loyalty and patience of this tradition is impressive. The advantage could be obscure; until the moment you discontinued the practice. It expresses Christianity's materialistic claim that what is sacred is in the middle of our academic business, not separated from it, not peripheral, not across the road however beautiful. lL has no grave and bone-yard. But it i the understood threshold where lively members of King's remember dead teachers, where students and staff killed in the wars are commemorated, and where we all can sit, before the clock strikes, and reckon on our portion of eternity. It is not only fitting that our corridors should have this solemn door. It is sane, in a society secretive about mortality. There are royal peculiars, like Westminster Abbey. There are also collegiate chapels. They enjoy a certain freedom from well meaning ecclesiastical lawyers and diocesan pickpockets. We do not ask anyone's permission to hold ecumenical services, or seek a faculty for candlesticks. To exchange this responsibility for part of the diocese of London in the


public domain i to prefer servitude. It is an advantage to be able to do what you like 'th our 0 n. How could we make the mo t of our ad antage ? The ize of the room is needed for all great Chapel casions in the academic year. But the floor needs to be lear, and as handsome as the new floor of the Great Hall. Walls, apse, arcade and clere tory deserve to be cleaned, and architecturally lit. The n LUary platform could form a large emi-circular apron, reflecting the shape of the apse. A discreet, efficient public address system and recording facility could be included. We should have gained for one of our best as ets a much more flexible use. The Chapel could eam its keep as a dignified enue for concerts, and special lectures. Its liturgical use for the variety of daily services could be accommodated more appropriately. We could go further. We could share the ilence of the Chapel with those who want to find a niche in thi College building for academic tudy. A row of well-made tall ,individually lit, running the whole length of the Chapel, against the walls, could provide work spaces for about 50 tudents. Whenever the church was full for services, these stalls would simply become the back row. But at other times it would be appropriate for meditative prayer and academic study to be seen to be able to co-exist as quietly as can be in the same tobacco free space. It was wondered if this flexibility could be extended to include the Library's use of the Chapel. But the nature of the Chapel is to be open, the Library safely guarded. The issue of security stands in the way of joint use of the room for Chapel and Library.

King's has always been cramped for pace. The Dean who did not surrender the Chapel but offered the apex of his vault in the cause of science, made an intelligent adaptation of space. I think we can make our present Chapel more beautiful, and more useful, and better adapted to our needs, without losing any of its big advantages over a perilous, antique alternative. Reginald Askew Dean

THE "\ A BOTTLE OF H MP G E A new catering outlet will be opening in the Cornwall House Annexe later this ummer. e do not wish to call it the 'Cornwall House Annexe Refectory' and are therefore running a competition to find a uitable name for the room. A bottle of champagne ill be awarded to the person ho, in the Judge' opinion, offers the mo t suitable sugge tion. Although the outlet is maller than the Thomas More Refectory and Bar at 552 King's Road it will seat some 65 customers and be furnished to a high standard. The catering provision will be of a Cafe! Bi tro style, and a liquor licence is being applied for, to enable a good range of wine and beers to be sold. It should be noted that both 'The Cornwall', and 'The Cornwall Arms' have been considered but rejected. Suggestions should reach Peter Hoffman, Room 6G, Chesham Building, Strand campus by Friday 25 May 1990. THE MAIN REFECTORY, ATKI S BUILDING KE INGTO CAMPUS The 0 SMOKING area of the Kensington Main Refectory has recently been redefined with new 'no moking' signs. For the benefit of all customers mokers are requested not to use the NO SMOKI G AREA. THE RIVER RESTAURA T, STRA D CAMPUS Staff Training On Thursday 10 May this room will be closed to all but pre-booked cu tomers during lunchtime. We regret the inconvenience, but trust that as the room is being u ed for important Catering Staff training, customers will under tand, and in the long run benefit. Table Bookings The Strand Catering Office will be pleased, subject to availability, to reserve tables in the River Restaurant, but we must ask that customers inform the Office if after booking the table is not required. On a number of occasions in the recent past bookings have not been taken up, and if this continues it may be necessary to levy a charge. Peter Hoffman Catering Officer

Could all tafT please let the witch board know if: - their extension number changes - they move room - a new member of taff joins the department ( itchboard need to kno their name, exten ion and r m number) - a member of taff lea es

I...

D THE POST ROO

Could all tafT please make sure that: - their departmental number stamp is used when sending external mail (otherwise the po t room staff do not know which department to charge). nstamped mail has to be opened - the departmental number stamp is not used on internal mail as this leads to delay and confusion - any letters or parcels with Royal Mail po tage stamp attached should not be given to the Po t Room but put in the po t box adjacent to the Post Room or mailed outside the College. - all registered letters should be addressed directly on to the envelope and not on a ticky label. Otherwise the Post Office will not accept them. - all express delivery mail should be brought to the Post Room and not placed in a Royal Mail post box. This will make sure that the post goes by expres delivery and is not overlooked.

Gal G ABROAD THIS S MER? ow is the time to start thinking about what vaccinations you are going to need for your ummer travels this year. Most vaccinations, advice and information about what you need, are available from the medical centres on all three campuses free of charge to all staff and students. Opening hours and contacts for all three medical centres arc as follows:Strand - Sister Gladstone ext S2613 9.00 am till 4.00 pm daily Chelsea - Sister Donegan ext C2300

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Monday moming, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Term time only Ken ington - Sister Donegan ext K4250 When not at Chelsea. Term time only For most destinations outside Europe and orth America you need to start your accination programme six to eight weeks before you go! When did you last have a Tetanus Boo ter? Even if you are not going to any exotic de tination this year it is worth thinking about whether you are up to date with tetanus vaccinations. Many people have not had one since they left school. (They last five years). Tetanus is a serious di ease and can get into the body through any break in the skin, whether it be a tiny scratch or a massive injury. Although cleaning any cut is an important step in preventing tetanus the only way to be fully protected is by being up to date with your immunization programme. Again advice is available from the medical centres on all three sites. Jackie Donegan (Sister) Kensington Medical Centre

MICROS AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS: MARK TWO In the last edition of Comment (issue no. 44, page 8) the address of where to obtain the resources pack should have read as follows: The Information Officer, Educational Computing Unit, Centre for Educational Studies, King's College London, 552 King' Road, London SW10 OUA

LIBRARY NEWS ew database available for Bioethics The Library ha recently made available the online database BIOETHlCSline, which covers citations to print and non-print materials which discuss ethical questions in health care, medicine and biomedical research, eg euthanasia, abortion, patient rights and human experimentation. Material from over 60 indexes and other reference tools, over 70 journals and newspapers is included, and from 4 databases. BIOETHlCSline is produced at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. If you think a search on this database might be helpful for your research, please ring Vivien Fleteher ext S2313 or Margaret Samman ext SW19 for funher details. LIBERTAS news The Embankment and Strand Level 5 reading rooms moved all their loan transactions to LIBERTAS on 19 March, and the French reading room began issuing shorter loan material on LIBERTAS at the beginning of this term (25 April). Users of the LIBERTAS system may have noticed slight changes in some of the information offered by LIBERTAS, as a resulL of new software added on 23 April 1990. One change is the option of using the Boolean operators 'and' and 'or' when carrying out subject searches - Library staff will pleased to demonstrate to any interested users. Further details of other improvements will be given as each new pan of Libertas is ready for use. This leaves the normal loan stock of French and Strand Level 2, and all of the Music reading room material still being issued on the old voucher system. The current estimate of number of items still to be added to LIBERTAS's records is a daunting 114,000, but the Library has received a grant of ÂŁ16,000 from the College's Research Strategy fund to help buy in records for use in adding humanities material. The Library hopes to gain some 10,000 records, and much work was done during the Easter vacation to identify suitable items for 'conversion'. Among the subject areas involved are general language and literary studies, and modem European languages (not literature) except French and Greek, both on Level 2 of the Strand Building Library, and Music, so relief for those readers still having to write out vouchers is on its way!

DE TALSTUDE TSI THE WIM A team of five pre-clinical dental students recently entered the national Swimathon. They finished the distance (5000m) in the commendable time of 1 hour 40 minute and 12 seconds. While the event is not strictly competitive, a certain amount of satisfaction was obtained by finishing before a team from University College! M W Robins Department of Physiology

8

Pre-c/inical dental students who successfully competed in the national Swimathon. From the left: Seam us Smith, Fiona Lim. Melissa Morton. Mark Knagg and Amber Peters.


LECTURES MEETINGS AND SEMINARS 1I

A G RAL LECT RE

DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS A D BYZ TI EA D MODER GREEK STUDIES Tuesday 15 May THE USE AND ABUSE OF BYZANTIUM Averil Cameron, Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studie and Director of the Centre for Hellenic Studies 5.30 pm, The ew Theatre, Strand campus

King's College London 5.30 pm, The Chapel, Strand campus

WAR STUDIES A UAL LECTURE Thursday 10 May RIGHTS AND WRO GS OF THE BOMBER OFFE SIYE Group Captain Leonard'Cheshire, V.C 5.15 pm, Room 2B08, Strand campus

CENTRE FOR PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES Thursday 10 May ~TPHILOSOPHERSSAYABOUT

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY Monday 21 May SOME ASPECTS OF GLUCOSINOLATE CHEMlSTRY Alexander MacLeod, Professor of Food Chemistry 5.30 pm, The ew Theatre, Strand campu

KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY Thursday 24 May MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE: A HUMAN AND BIOLOGICAL ENIGMA Professor P N Leigh, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology, KCSMD 5.30 pm, Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill SE5 8AF

Ip

BUC LECTURES

Monday 14 May MODERN GREEK THEATRE: COMINGOFAGE Professor Aliki Bacopoulou-Halls, Department of English, University of Athens 5.30 pm, The Committee Room, Strand campus

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES Tuesday 8 May GOODNESS AND PLURALITY Professor Stewart Sutherland, Principal,

HUMAN RIGHTS Dr Richard Tuck, Cambridge University 6.00 pm, Room 6C, Strand campus Friday 18 May to Saturday 19 May (Two day conference) PERCEPTlO AND PERCEPTUAL CONTENT Council Room Enquiries to Dr Tim Crane S2769 Thursday 24 May WHAT PHILOSOPHERS SAY ABOUT LANGUAGE Dr Simon Blackburn, Oxford University 6.00 pm, Room 6C, Strand campus

ISEMINARS

CE. TRE FOR LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES Tuesday 8 May THE POUT/CS AND POETICS OF TRANSGRESSION, PETER STALLYBRASS AND ALLO WHITE Francesca Lewis 5.30 pm, Room 314, Strand campus

DEPARTME T OF FOOD A D NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES Friday 11 May CLIENT - LED RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Professor Scarlet Epstein, University of Sussex 2.00 pm, Council Room, Kensington campus

AGE CONCERN INSTITUTE OF GERONTOLOGY Monday 14 May THE HEALTH STATUS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE BANGKOK Professor Shah Ebrahim, Profes or of Geriatric Medicine, The London Hospital, Mile End Tuesday 15 May RESEARCH 0 NURSING CARE OF ELDERLY PEOPLE Dr Sally Redfem, Director of ursing Education Research Unit, KCL 4.00 - 5.00 pm, Room 2路109 Clark Buildings, 552 King's Road, Chelsea campus

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Wednesday 9 May LEIBNlZ AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS Professor Emily Grosholz, Pennsylvania State University Wednesday 16 May PROBLEMS OF WRITING INTELLECTUAL HISTORY: RECE T SCHOLARSHIP ON KEYNES' THEORY OF PROBABILITY Professor Robert Skidelsky, University of Warwick Wednesday 23 May POINCARE'S, EINSTEIN'S AND LORENTZ'S RESPONSES TO KAUFMAN'S EXPERIMENT: EXPERIMENTAL ERROR AND ITS PLACE IN PHILOSOPHY OF SCIE CE Dr Giora Hon, Universitlit Kon tanz Wednesday 30 May WHAT WAS THE FORM OF LOCKE'S MECHANISM? Dr Michael Ayers, Wadham College, Oxford Wednesday 6 June CO TINUITY, VIEWS ANCIENT AND MODERN: FROM ARISTOTLE TO SE THEORY Dr Paul Foulkes 2.15 pm, Room 1806, Strand campus

DIVISION OF BIOMOLECULAR SCIENCES Friday 11 May THE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF

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