Forties and Fifties

The University admitted its first students in 1948, as a College of the University of London (UK). The first lecture given on campus, was in the Department of Chemistry by Professor Cedric Hassall, a New Zealander, to a group of thirty-three premedical students. Professor Hassall had been handpicked by Professor Alexander Todd of Cambridge University (UK). The original temporary wooden building (as seen to the right) in which this lecture was given was almost totally destroyed by hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Cedric Hassall spent nine years at the University College of the West Indies (as it then was). During that time he was vigorous in building a research school and founding a Department that would set the seal on its pursuit of excellence. He made Natural Products Chemistry his specialty. The postdoctoral fellows in his group included Frank Curtis, Karl Reyle and Bernard Smith. The school of postgraduate studies in that area has continued as one of the major areas of emphasis in the Department.

His work is most notable for investigations which led to the discovery of hypoglycin in ackees, thereby explaining the previous mysterious, vomiting sickness, but he also investigated yams, sisal and the toxic constiuents of higher plants. In addition he studied microorganisms for substances of possible pharmaceutical use. The studies on the Panama disease of bananas led to an anitbiotic (Monamycin) which was found to be active against human pathogens. He was early in the field of flavour constituents and examined those which gave rum its characteristics.

He was responsible for a subdepartment of Chemical Technology which offered a postgraduate diploma and which carried out pilot plant developments in salt manufacture, charcoal production and its byproducts, as well as on clays. The work on clays was done in cooperation with Royal Worcester, UK. and led to the establishment of a factory in Jamaica, just outside Spanish Town. The patterns were labelled Island Worcester.