British Chemist Henry E. Roscoe’s Unintended Contribution to Korean Chemistry in 1907

Abstract

Chemistry was almost exclusively the product of Western culture until the 20th century, and it was in the early 20th century that chemistry was introduced as a new type of learning within Korea. The work of a British chemist, Henry E. Roscoe, was unintentionally introduced into Korean education in 1907. We briefly explore how chemistry knowledge was accepted in Korea by tracing the publication process and lineage of Hong’s Chemistry Textbook.