William Ramsay McNab

::For the Canadian engineer, see William McNab

William Ramsay McNab, MD (1844-3 December 1889) was a renowned botanist.

Family

Only son of James McNab (1810-1878), curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, a position previously held by his father, William McNab.

Career

Assistant to Professor John Hutton Balfour at Edinburgh, McNab studied in Germany before graduating MD at Edinburgh 1866. He was appointed professor of natural history at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester in 1870. In 1871 he introduced Sacha’s facts and methods to British students. Appointed to the chair of botany in the Royal College of Science, Dublin March 1872. Appointed scientific superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. He was Swiney lecturer on geology at the British Museum.

Medal

A William McNab medal is awarded in his memory.

Bibliography

* "Experiments on the movement of water in plants"
* "On the Development of the flowers Welwitschia mirabilis"
* "Revisions of the species of Abies"
* "Outlines of Morphology and Physiology"
* "Outlines of Classification"

References

* Dictionary of National Biography
* Obituary notice in "Nature" 19 December 1889, xii, 159
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