Darülfünun Kimya Eğitiminde Reform: I. Dünya Savaşı Yıllarında İstanbul’a Gelen Üç Alman Kimyager

Year 2008, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 47 - 90, 01.12.2008

Feza Günergün

Abstract

The leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress, following their
ascension to power in 1913, undertook a number of reforms at the University
(the Darülfünun) in Istanbul aiming to improve the quality of teaching. The
political and military alliance struck with Germany, coupled with German
aspirations to become culturally influential in the Turkish world, paved the way
for the arrival of up to 20 German professors in Istanbul during WWI, among
them, three chemists. Franz Schmidt, the adviser to the Ottoman Minister of
Education, coordinated the selection and invitation of scholars from Germany. 

Emil Fischer, the head of the Institute of Chemistry at Berlin University
was influential in the selection of young chemists to be appointed to the Faculty
of Science of the Darülfünun. In Autumn 1915, the three chemists arrived in
Istanbul: Fritz Arndt (1885-1968) undertook the teaching of inorganic
chemistry, Kurt Hoesch (1882-1832) organic chemistry, and Gustav Fester
(1882-1965), industrial chemistry. A new building (Yerebatan Kimya Enstitüsü) was allocated to the institute of inorganic and industrial chemistry, where six
laboratories, a library and an amphitheater specially designed for chemistry
courses were set. Equipment and chemicals were imported from Germany. The
newly designed undergraduate program for chemistry commenced with the
academic year 1917-1918.

Professor F.Arndt, formerly privat dozent in inorganic chemistry in
Breslau University was probably the most active of the three chemists. While he
was the consultant in the renovation of the building which would house the
inorganic and industrial chemistry institutes, he compiled two inorganic
chemistry books to be used in the laboratory courses. Both were translated into
Turkish by his young Turkish colleagues, who had previously studied chemistry
in Berlin. He also recommended and supervised the translation of two books on
qualitative and quantitative analysis of inorganic substances from German to
Turkish. These books were translations of works of professors from the Breslau
University, and of other German chemists. Praktikums were at the core of he
undergraduate program. The students were expected to spend most of their time
in the laboratories. This was a novelty when compared with previous teaching.
The newly translated chemistry books from German chemists replaced the
Turkish chemisty books based on French authors. The translation work went
alongside the coining of new chemical terms derived from Arabic. These
Ottoman terms, however, were used for about a decade and then replaced by
‘pure Turkish’ (Öz Türkçe) terms derived from Turkish or European languages. 
The Young Turk policy to promote industrialisation in Turkey coincided
with the emergence of chemistry as an applied science, and led the Ottoman
administrators to invest in the teaching of chemistry, allocating a rather
sophisticated building and substantial resources despite war-time conditions,
and inviting three chemists at once, when a single professor was appointed for
other disciplines. This is also reflected inclusion of of Emil Fischer, the most
famous organic chemist of the time, in the list of professors to be invited to the
University where chemical research was at its embryonic stage. Although the
German project of transforming Darülfünun after a German University was not
endorsed by the Minister of Education, the emphasis given by Arndt and Fester
to chemistry teaching in the laboratory, would have deep and long lasting
impact in the chemical education in Turkey. 

Keywords

Darülfünun, Alman Kimyagerler, Fritz Arndt, Gustav Fester, Kurt Hoesch, kimya eğitimi, İkinci Meşrutiyet, Türkiye.

German chemists in Istanbul during WWI and the reformation of chemical education at the University (Darülfünun)

Abstract

The leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress, following their ascension to power in 1913, undertook a number of reforms at the University (the Darülfünun) in Istanbul aiming to improve the quality of teaching. The political and military alliance struck with Germany, coupled with German aspirations to become culturally influential in the Turkish world, paved the way for the arrival of up to 20 German professors in Istanbul during WWI, among them, three chemists. Franz Schmidt, the adviser to the Ottoman Minister of Education, coordinated the selection and invitation of scholars from Germany. 

Emil Fischer, the head of the Institute of Chemistry at Berlin University was influential in the selection of young chemists to be appointed to the Faculty of Science of the Darülfünun. In Autumn 1915, the three chemists arrived in Istanbul: Fritz Arndt (1885-1968) undertook the teaching of inorganic chemistry, Kurt Hoesch (1882-1832) organic chemistry, and Gustav Fester (1882-1965), industrial chemistry. A new building (Yerebatan Kimya Enstitüsü) was allocated to the institute of inorganic and industrial chemistry, where six laboratories, a library and an amphitheater specially designed for chemistry courses were set. Equipment and chemicals were imported from Germany. The newly designed undergraduate program for chemistry commenced with the academic year 1917-1918.

Professor F.Arndt, formerly privat dozent in inorganic chemistry in Breslau University was probably the most active of the three chemists. While he was the consultant in the renovation of the building which would house the inorganic and industrial chemistry institutes, he compiled two inorganic chemistry books to be used in the laboratory courses. Both were translated into Turkish by his young Turkish colleagues, who had previously studied chemistry in Berlin. He also recommended and supervised the translation of two books on qualitative and quantitative analysis of inorganic substances from German to Turkish. These books were translations of works of professors from the Breslau University, and of other German chemists. Praktikums were at the core of he undergraduate program. The students were expected to spend most of their time in the laboratories. This was a novelty when compared with previous teaching. The newly translated chemistry books from German chemists replaced the Turkish chemisty books based on French authors. The translation work went alongside the coining of new chemical terms derived from Arabic. These Ottoman terms, however, were used for about a decade and then replaced by ‘pure Turkish’ (Öz Türkçe) terms derived from Turkish or European languages. 
The Young Turk policy to promote industrialisation in Turkey coincided with the emergence of chemistry as an applied science, and led the Ottoman administrators to invest in the teaching of chemistry, allocating a rather sophisticated building and substantial resources despite war-time conditions, and inviting three chemists at once, when a single professor was appointed for other disciplines. This is also reflected inclusion of of Emil Fischer, the most famous organic chemist of the time, in the list of professors to be invited to the University where chemical research was at its embryonic stage. Although the German project of transforming Darülfünun after a German University was not endorsed by the Minister of Education, the emphasis given by Arndt and Fester to chemistry teaching in the laboratory, would have deep and long lasting impact in the chemical education in Turkey. 

Keywords

Darülfünun, German chemists, Fritz Arndt, Gustav Fester, Kurt Hoesch, teaching of chemistry, Young Turk Revolution, Turkey

References

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