38 CHEMICAL DISCOVERY AND INVENTION 



IV. THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, U.S.A. 



When the chemical department of the Imperial College at 

 South Kensington was originally designed it was thought that 

 the laboratories about to be erected were larger than any others 

 then existent, certainly in the British Empire, and probably in 

 the world. But the demand for instruction in chemistry in 

 view of its applications in so many directions and especially in 

 industrial and manufacturing occupations has increased rapidly 

 during the last twenty years. The consequence is that the 

 chemical departments in most of the European universities are 

 crowded with students, and admission of foreigners to some of the 

 most famous laboratories has become increasingly difficult. 

 The pressure of this demand has been recognised in the United 

 States, and new and extensive buildings are being added to 

 several of the universities in that country. On account of its 

 great dimensions a description will now be given of the new 

 chemical laboratory at the University of Illinois, where accom- 

 modation is about to be provided for no fewer than 1500 students, 

 or probably four times the number to be found in the University 

 of Berlin. An official paper gives us the following information : 



" When the chemical laboratory of the University of Illinois 

 was built in 1901 there were 238 students in the department of 

 chemistry, and the instruction was cared for by ten persons, 

 two professors, one associate professor, three instructors, and 

 four assistants. 



" During the first week of the year 1914-15 nearly 1500 

 students have registered in the department. There are now 54 

 persons in the instructional staff. . . . 



" The rapid growth of the department has rendered the chemical 

 laboratory, built in 1901, and already one of the few very large 

 laboratories in America, wholly inadequate for the needs of this 

 large body of students. The large appropriation made for the 

 university by the State during the session of 1913 has made it 

 possible to set aside $250,000 for an addition to the labora- 

 tory. . . . 



" The cost of the addition will be more than twice the cost of 

 the original building, and a considerable additional appropriation 

 will be required to furnish suitable equipment. When finished 

 the laboratory will be one of the largest and best-equipped 

 laboratories in the world. 



