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Origin of the term "chair" in academia?
When I was very young, I wondered why professors (heads of departments) were said to have a "chair" in such-and-such subject. I thought of the story about King Louis XIV of France who was said to have a chair in (their equivalent of) the cabinet room which doubled as a toilet. If, during a meeting with his ministers, he felt the need to... umm,... "go", he could just pop the lid of his chair and do his business right there without leaving the room. Presumably someone would come and collect the royal "doings"? Or maybe not, since everyone knows that royal doings don't stink.
So, I wondered if maybe those very important academics also needed a similar facility.
More seriously though, what are the origins of the academic term "chair" ?
When I was very young, I wondered why professors (heads of departments) were said to have a "chair" in such-and-such subject. I thought of the story about King Louis XIV of France who was said to have a chair in (their equivalent of) the cabinet room which doubled as a toilet. If, during a meeting with his ministers, he felt the need to... umm,... "go", he could just pop the lid of his chair and do his business right there without leaving the room. Presumably someone would come and collect the royal "doings"? Or maybe not, since everyone knows that royal doings don't stink.
So, I wondered if maybe those very important academics also needed a similar facility.
More seriously though, what are the origins of the academic term "chair" ?