Ernest Hanbury Hankin

Ernest Hanbury Hankin (February 4, 1865- March 29, 1939), was a British bacteriologist, aeronautical theorist and naturalist. Working mainly in India, he studied malaria, cholera and other diseases. His studies of geometric patterns in Saracenic art has influenced computer scientists in recent years. He was educated at University College London and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School. He was an Associate Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain.

witnessed it at the Pasteur Institute. [Alexander Sulakvelidze et al, [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=90351 "Discovery of Bacteriophages and Early Phage Therapy Research"] "Journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy", March 2001] Hankin wrote "On the Epidemiology of Plague" in the "Journal of Hygiene" in 1905, but by now his interests had drifted towards the subject of flight.

In 1914 he published "Animal Flight" about soaring flight in birds, based on observations he made, particularly of gulls and vultures, in Agra. [ [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v032n02/p0245-p0247.pdf "The Auk"] Vol XXXII, 1915] With D. M. S. Watson he also published a pioneering paper on the flight of Pterodactyls in the "Aeronautical Journal" (1914). [Octave Levenspeil, [http://www.levenspiel.com/octave/OL_images/DinosaurW.pdf "Atmospheric Pressure at the Time of Dinosaurs"] Chemical Engineering Department, Oregon State University, n. d.] His research continued back in England. In 1923, "Time" magazine carried the following short notice on his exploits: "Much interest is taken in England in the problems of air gliding. People on a London Common saw a strange sight—an elderly gentleman playing with a toy aeroplane. He was Dr. E. H. Hankin ... and he was experimenting with a model glider." [ [http://205.188.238.109/time/magazine/article/0,9171,846487,00.html "Time" Magazine] , March 10, 1923]

While in India, he wrote about Islamic star patterns he had observed there, but publication was delayed until 1925. "The Drawing of Geometric Patterns in Saracenic Art" was finally published in "Memoirs of the Archaeological Societry of India", under the editorship of J. F. Blakiston. [ [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmolallie/2073854747/in/set-72157603842997257/ "Preface"] ] This and later writings have influenced computer scientists in recent years. [ [http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/washington/taprats/bridges2000.pdf Paper on Computer-based Islamic Star Patterns] ] [ [http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/washington/taprats/ Taprats, Islamic Star Patterns (Computer generated)] ]

Other publcations

* "Animal Flight: a record of observation" (1914)
* "The Mental Limitations of the Expert" (1920)
* "Common Sense and its Cultivation" (1925)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.islamic-art.org/ArticlesOnline/BArchViewPage.asp?ArticleID=82&PO=1 Hankin's "The Drawing of Geometric Patterns in Saracenic Art"]