Editing George Combe (section)

==Social interests: schools, prisons and asylums==
[[Image:COMBE.jpg|thumb|upright|George Combe, a [[daguerrotype]]]]
In 1836, Combe stood for the chair of Logic at the University of Edinburgh against two other candidates: Sir William Hamilton and [[Isaac Taylor]].<ref>{{Cite DNB |wstitle=Taylor, Isaac (1787-1865)}}</ref> Hamilton won by 18 votes against 14 for Taylor.{{sfn|Stephen|1887}} In 1838 Combe visited the United States to study the treatment of criminals there. He initiated a programme of public education in chemistry, physiology, history and moral philosophy.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=750–751}}

Combe sought to improve public education through a national, non-sectarian system.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/adictionaryeduc00bardgoog |title=A Dictionary of Educational Biography |last=Charles William Bardeen |date=1901 |publisher=C.W. Bardeen |others=Harvard University |language=en}}</ref> He helped to set up a school in Edinburgh run on the principles of [[William Ellis (economist)|William Ellis]], and did some teaching there in phrenology and physiology.{{sfn |Stephen |1887}} It was prompted by the London Birkbeck School, which had opened on 17 July 1848.<ref>{{Cite DNB |wstitle=Williams, William Mattieu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst19419.html |title=Surgeons' Square from The Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=2018-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/secondaryeducati00archiala |title=Secondary education in the nineteenth century |last=Archer |first=R. L. (Richard Lawrence) |date=1921 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref> Combe was strongly behind the view that the state should be involved in the education system. In this he was backed by William Jolly, an inspector of schools, and noted by [[Frank Pierrepont Graves]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/appliedcharacter00mill |title=Applied character analysis in human conservation |last=Miller |first=John T. |date=1922 |publisher=R. G. Badger |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref>

Combe was much concerned about prison reform. He and [[William A. F. Browne]] opened a debate on introducing humane treatment of psychiatric patients in publicly funded asylums.