George Rolleston

George Rolleston

George Rolleston FRS (1829 – 1881) was an English physician and zoologist. He was Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Oxford from 1860 until his death in 1881.

Life

Rolleston was born at Maltby Hall, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, England (30 July 1829). His parents were probably Rev. George Rolleston (rector and squire of Maltby) and Anne Nettleship; and his brother probably William Rolleston, later of New Zealand. [same birth place; uncommon name; limited number of educated families in a small location]

Rolleston was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford and St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He qualified with the degrees of BA (1850, 1st Class), MA and MD. He became FRCP in 1859, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society on 5th June 1862.

Rolleston married (1861) Grace, daughter of John Davy FRS and niece of Sir Humphry Davy FRS; they had seven children. He died of uraemic convulsions at Oxford (16 June 1881), and is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford. His anthropological archive came to the Ashmolean Museum, along with the archaeological material resulting from his excavations.

Career

After qualifying as a physician, Rolleston became a Fellow of Pembroke College in 1851, holding posts at the British Civil Hospital, Smyrna (during Crimean War), and Assistant Physician, Children's Hospital, London.

Gradually he became more interested in zoology, and spent the rest of his career as a zoologist, and on the human sciences. His research included comparative anatomy, physiology, zoology, archaeology, and anthropology. He held the positions of Lee's Reader in Anatomy, Christ Church, Oxford (1857); Linacre Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Oxford (1860); and Fellow, Merton College, Oxford (1872).

Huxley and the 1860 BA meeting

As a zoologist, Rolleston was a protegée of Thomas Henry Huxley, and took part in both of the critical sessions at the 1860 BA meeting in Oxford. [Desmond, Adrian 1994. "Huxley": vol 1 "The Devil's Disciple", London: Michael Joseph, p274-6, 280-1] Rolleston was one of the organisers for the meeting: he arranged for Huxley to stay at Christ Church during the meeting, and to have a crocodile skull in Huxley's room for study. Huxley was instrumental in Rolleston's appointment to the Linacre chair that very year, backing him against Owen's candidate. Rolleston wrote him a 'you'll never regret this' letter. [Rolleston to Huxley, Huxley Papers (Imperial College), HP 25.142, 148, 150.]

As an expert on the brain, Rolleston was present on the Thursday, when Huxley denied Owen's claim that human brain had parts that apes did not: T.H. Huxley#Man and ape, and again on the Saturday for the debate on Darwin, where his opponent was Bishop Samuel Wilberforce: T.H. Huxley#Debate with Wilberforce. Rolleston was an Anglican, but a liberal in his religious beliefs, as was Huxley's other supporter in the brain debate, William Henry Flower. Huxley organised his FRS, as he did for Flower; and the two men acted as liaison between the X-Club and the Royal Society. [Desmond, Adrian 1994. "Huxley": vol 1 "The Devil's Disciple", London: Michael Joseph, p306, 329] Rolleston remarked later that whenever he lectured on evolution, he was asked 'Was I an atheist or a Unitarian?' and some of Huxley's attacks on the Old Testament did cause him anguish. [Rolleston to Huxley 1 Jan 1865 HP 25.167] [Desmond, Adrian 1994. "Huxley": vol 1 "The Devil's Disciple", London: Michael Joseph, P331-2]

Rolleston was so identified with Huxley at this time that he appeared as one of 'Tom Huxley's low set' in the ironical skit "Report of a sad case recently tried before the Lord Mayor, Owen versus Huxley" (publ. George Pycraft 1863) as 'Charlie Darwin the pigeon-fancier and Rollstone' cheer on their barrow-boy. This vivid broadsheet was certainly well informed: it mentions Owen's disgaceful maltreatment of Gideon Mantell.

See also:
*T.H. Huxley#Man and ape
*T.H. Huxley#Debate with Wilberforce
*
*Alfred Newton#Reception of the Origin of Species
*1860 Oxford evolution debate

Publications

*1870. "Forms of animal life: a manual of comparative anatomy". Oxford.
*1888. "Scientific papers and addresses". 2 vols, Oxford.

Footnotes

References

*Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
*Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc 1881-1882 vol 33 pp xxiv-xxvii signed by WHF


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • George Rolleston — (* 30. Juli 1829 in Maltby Hall, South Yorkshire bei Rotherham; † 16. Juni 1881 in Oxford) war ein englischer Arzt und Physiologe. In …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rolleston — could be*Rolleston, New Zealand *Rolleston, Queensland in AustraliaIn England :*Rolleston, Devon *Rolleston, Leicestershire *Rolleston, Nottinghamshire **Rolleston railway station *Rolleston, Staffordshireurname* George Rolleston (biologist) *… …   Wikipedia

  • George Henry Martin Johnson — For other people of the same name, see George Johnson (disambiguation). George Henry Martin Johnson Chief George Johnson, seated centre, with anthropologist …   Wikipedia

  • William Rolleston — Infobox Officeholder name=Hon. William Rolleston order=3rd Leader of the Opposition term start=31 August 1891 term end=8 November 1893 predecessor=John Bryce successor=William Russell birth date=19 September 1831 birth place=Yorkshire ENG death… …   Wikipedia

  • Christopher Rolleston — (27 July 1817 – 9 April 1888) was a public servant. A prominent colonial civil servant in New South Wales has served as the register general (1855 – 1864). During his time as registrar general he was responsible for the launch of compulsory… …   Wikipedia

  • Hippocampus-Debatte — Vergleich der Hemisphären des Endhirns von Mensch und Schimpanse: a) Hinterer Lappen b) Seitenventrikel c) Hinteres Horn x) Hippocampus minor. Die Hippocampus Debatte war eine Kontroverse zwischen den britischen Biologen Richard Owen und Thomas… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Thomas Henry Huxley — Woodburytype print of Huxley (1880 or earlier) Born 4 May 1825(1825 05 04) …   Wikipedia

  • Karataş, İzmir — Karataş is a neighborhood of İzmir, Turkey, within the boundaries of the city s central metropolitan district of Konak. The neighorhood no longer has an official delimitation or status and exists as a notional zone ( semt ) that is admitted to… …   Wikipedia

  • Oliver Cromwell's head — A drawing of Oliver Cromwell s head on a spike from the late 18th century Following the death of Oliver Cromwell on 3 September 1658, he was given a public funeral at Westminster Abbey, equal to those of monarchs before him. After successfully… …   Wikipedia

  • Cumnoria — Animalia Cumnoria Temporal range: Upper Jurassic, Kimmeridgian …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”