Calendar: 1977-1978 Page 19

Sketch of the Development of King's College 23 Wheatstone professor of experimental philosophy since 1834 The King's College Engineering Society run by and for students and the third oldest professional society of its kind in Britain being preceded only by the Institutions of Civil and Mechanical Engineering was founded in 1847 Since that day engineering has always been one of the most widely recognised parts of the work of the College pro- fessorship of law had been in the College from the beginning In the course of time new academic departments included Oriental languages 1833 which were later developed to meet the wants of candi- dates for the Indian civil service theological department 1846 for the training of clergy which was to become in due course one of the central activities of King's military science 1848 practical art under the professor of geometrical drawing 1879 and education 1890 in the form of day training department under Adamson the first master of method Early Patterns of Teaching In the meantime in the original senior department and the professional schools degree structure grew up and all candidates who were suit- ably prepared submitted to examination by the University of London Not until the last two decades of the nineteenth century were the senior studies thoroughly organised in distinct divisions At length resolu- tion of council in 1893 created five faculties-theology arts natural and applied science medicine and law The somewhat late appearance of this articulated structure is explained in large part by the vicissitudes of development-the discouragement and neglect which afflicted the higher parts of the College's work especially in arts and science It must be recognised that King's College had been first in the field in developing university approach to engineering that the Wheatstone Laboratory of Physics is older than any other teaching laboratory of the kind in England and Germany and that King's was pioneer with its laboratories of comparative pathology bacteriology and electrical engineering Still while it could encourage men of parts to come and teach-a number indeed went on to become national figures-the College for long lacked momentum in the regular university disciplines and was not vigorous in bringing forward undergraduates to take the University's degree examinations in the organisation of which its professors were allowed no part It lived somewhat hand-to-mouth life it had no endowments and several times faced bankruptcy in