“In 1963 PM Harold Wilson warned that for the UK to prosper, it would need to be remade in the “white heat” of a “scientific revolution”. I was a product of this scientific revolution, earning my DPhil in synthetic organic chemistry in 1972, along with a huge cohort of other white heat-forged science PhDs.
In the 1970s the UK pharmaceutical industry – Glaxo, Wellcome, Boots, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), May & Baker, Fisons, Allen & Hanburys, Smith, Kline & French, Beecham; plus UK subsidiaries: Pfizer, Roche, Merck/Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Eli Lilly, Bayer, Ciba-Geigy – organised the traditional “milk round” of job interviews, but none of these landed me a job as a research chemist.
So as an alternative, I became an assistant editor at the erstwhile Chemical Society in London. The Society itself was housed in prestigious Burlington House on Piccadilly, but its editorial staff were crammed into poky offices on the upper floors of an equally prestigious tailor on Savile Row. I don’t think the tailor appreciated the gaggle of scruffy assistant editors traipsing in through the main door every day.
The basic job requirements were an understanding of PhD level organic chemistry (I worked on J.C.S. Perkin I) and a good grasp of written English; everything else (editing, house style, printers’ marks, selecting referees, etc.)was taught on the job. And this was 53 years ago, so before personal computers, word processors, widespreademail, and chemical drawing programs.
My editorial stint taught me IUPAC nomenclature, rigorous English grammar and spelling, manuscript mark up for the printer, and how to use edge-punched cards. Some of these skills have served me well (and lasted longer) while others infected me with long-term GPS (Grammar Pedantry syndrome). I also took an extramural interest in developments in computer handling of chemical structures and attended Wiswesser Line Notation (WLN) courses organised by the Chemical Notation Association (UK).”
Read the full text: RSC CICAG Newsletter Winter 2025-26, pages 9-13. (PDF)
Chemical Structure Association Trust 