Prof David Ellis
FRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
(1874–1937) was a Scottish bacteriologist, botanist and baker. He was an academic author in all three fields.
Life
He was born in
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
in north
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
on 9 June 1874. He attended the
University College of Wales
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
1890-96.
From 1896 to 1898 he was Science Master at the County School in Aberystwyth. He then went to the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
gaining a doctorate (DSc) before going to
Marburg University
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...
where he gained a second doctorate (PhD).
In 1904 he became a Lecturer in Botany and Bacteriology at the West of Scotland Technical College. He married Jeannie Wright Paulin in Muckhart in 1906, and the same year he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
. His proposers were Sir
David Paulin
Sir David Paulin FFA FRSE (1847–1930) was a Scottish banker and actuary and the first person within the insurance industry to be knighted.
Together with James Sorley he founded the Scottish Life Assurance Company in 1881. He managed the compa ...
,
George Alexander Gibson
George Alexander Gibson FRSE FRCPE (27 January 1854 – 18 January 1913) was a Scottish physician, medical author and amateur geologist. As an author he wrote on the diverse fields of both geology and heart disease. The Gibson Memorial Lecture ...
,
Sir Arthur Mitchell and
James Chatham.
In later life he lived at 10 Spring Gardens in
Kelvinside
Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...
in Glasgow.
In 1920 he became Superintendent of the Scottish School of Bakery, and from 1925 until death was Professor of Bacteriology at the Royal Technical College, Glasgow.
In December 1925 he appears to have made an early radio broadcast entitled "Why we Attribute Life to Plants".
He died in
Bearsden
Bearsden () is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow. Approximately from Glasgow city centre, Glasgow City Centre, the town is effectively a suburb, and its housing development coincided with t ...
in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on 16 January 1937.
Publications
*''On the Discovery of a New Genus of Thread-Bacteria'' (1907)
*''Outlines of Bacteriology: Technical and Agricultural'' (1909)
*''Herbal Medicines and Poisonous Plants'' (1918)
*''Guide to Common Wild Flowers of the West of Scotland'' (1925)
*''Guide to Common Wild Flowers in Wales'' (1925)
*''The Science and Practice of Confectionery'' (1928)
[Culinary Landmarks: A History of Canadian Cookbooks 1825-1949]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, David
1874 births
1937 deaths
British botanists
Scottish bacteriologists
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of London
People from Aberystwyth