Dr. Thomas Andrews : The Great Chemist 133 



that, at this point, which he calls the absolute boiling point, the 

 latent heat becomes zero. 



I should like to say a few words about the services of 

 Dr. Andrews in another than the scientific side of his work. 

 He was the leading spirit in the foundation of the Queen's 

 University of Ireland. It is not generally understood that the 

 first idea of the Government was to establish three Colleges in 

 Ireland for the general education in Arts of the middle classes, 

 without the purpose of forming them into a University. There 

 was not, apparently, any intention of providing professional edu- 

 cation in such subjects as Medicine and Engineering. Dr. Kane 

 in his report seems to have taken this for granted, but Dr. 

 Andrews vigorously combated this view. I have the rough draft 

 of a memorandum in his hand-writing, in which he urges that the 

 Government must take up the work of framing a University, as 

 the Colleges could never be maintained in a working condition 

 unless this were done. He also argues that the neglect of the 

 special education required for those proceeding to qualify for the 

 professions will drive large numbers of the possible students to 

 other centres of learning, and that it will be impossible to fill the 

 class-rooms with those anxious only to obtain an education in 

 the usual Arts courses. He sketches ap arrangement for a 

 Medical School, almost completely agreeing with that provided 

 later when the College was opened, and suggests that, on the 

 provision of such facilities, the Medical School then in operation 

 in the Koyal Academical Institution should be discontinued, and 

 the Institution should completely revert to its original purpose of 

 providing a first-rate secondary education for the youth of the 

 middle class inhabitants. 



Dr. Andrews always remained greatly interested in educational 

 schemes, and published a most interesting and powerful pamphlet, 

 entitled " Studium Generale," explaining his views, which have 

 since come to fruition, at least to a large extent, in the Queen's 

 University of Belfast. 



