There are two parts to this story: the inscription itself and the life of the man who wrote it, and we would like your help with the first part. Although an attempt at translation has been made, we were wondering if there are any Latin scholars out there who would like to have a go. If you think you can help, please get in touch with your translation via email, post or telephone. A high-quality copy of the inscription can be found below:
{gallery}Classics Dictionary{/gallery}
The second part of the story is much easier to tell, thanks to the kind help of Philip Reason, a technician in our physics department. He found a lengthy online biography of Philip Boobyer, which outlines his illustrious career as a medical officer working in Basford, Nottingham. The biography describes his pioneering work in abolishing the ‘pail closet’ system, and success in freeing Nottingham of enteric fever.
It seems his career in classics didn’t take off!