Harry Dawson Slack

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 ...

(29 September 1907–17 October 1982) was a 20th-century British zoologist closely associated with

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

in Scotland.

Life

He was born in Littleover near Derby on 29 September 1907, the son of Wilfred Heald Slack (born 1873). His father served as an officer in the Derbyshire Volunteers during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, resigning his commission in July 1917. Slack was educated at Derby Secondary School 1918 to 1920 then Burton-on-Trent Grammar School 1920 to 1927. He then studied

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

at 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 ...

, graduating with a BSc in 1932. He then attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

for postgraduate studies gaining a doctorate (PhD) in 1937. Immediately on qualifying he obtained a post as assistant lecturer in zoology at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He has a keen interest in

and in 1938 launched a

limnology Limnology ( ; from Greek λίμνη, ''limne'', "lake" and λόγος, ''logos'', "knowledge") is the study of inland aquatic ecosystems. The study of limnology includes aspects of the biological, chemical, physical, and geological characteristi ...

course at the university involving bathymetric survey of the loch. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served as a

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

officer in the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

, reaching the rank of captain. On demobbing he set up a research station on Loch Lomond at Rossdhu House. This was partially equipped with instruments from the Challenger expedition. During his period here he worked closely with Prof Peter Maitland. In 1952 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

Maurice Yonge Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, CBE, FRS FRSE (9 December 1899 – 17 March 1986) was an English marine zoologist. Life Charles Maurice Yonge was born in Silcoates School near Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1899 the son of John Arthur Yonge (1865-1946 ...

Otto Lowenstein Otto Lowenstein (7 May 1889 – 25 March 1965) was a German-American neuropsychiatrist who was a native of Osnabrück. He grew up in Preußisch Oldendorf, the son of Julius Lowenstein, a merchant, and Henriette Grunewald, into a Jewish family, ...

, Ebenezer Ford, Sheina Marshall and

Andrew Picken Orr Andrew Picken Orr FRSE ARIC (1898–1962) was a 20th-century Scottish oceanographer and was an expert on phytoplankton and copepod biology. Life He was born in Ayrshire on 6 August 1898. He was educated at Kilmarnock Academy. In the First World ...

. At this time his address was then 6 Wardlaw Road 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 ...

.RSE Yearbook 1952 In 1967 his research transferred from Rossdhu to

Queen Elizabeth Forest Park Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is a Forest parks of Scotland, forest park in the Scottish Highlands which extends from the eastern shores of Loch Lomond to the mountains of Strathyre. The forest park is one of six such parks in Scotland, and was es ...

. He retired to a cottage at Yett of Ptarmigan,

Rowardennan Rowardennan (Gaelic: ''Rubha Aird Eònain'') is a small rural community on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond in Stirling council, Scotland. It is mainly known as the starting point for the main path up Ben Lomond. Rowardennan is at the northern e ...

in Stirlingshire in 1972 and died there on 17 October 1982.

Family

He married the zoologist Flora Eleanor Cochrane.

Publications

*''

Chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

Cimex ''Cimex'' is a genus of insects in the family Cimicidae. ''Cimex'' species are ectoparasites that typically feed on the blood of birds and mammals. Two species, ''Cimex lectularius'' and ''Cimex hemipterus'', are known as bed bugs and frequently ...

'' (1939) *''Studies on

'' (1957)

References

1907 births 1982 deaths People from Derbyshire Alumni of the University of London 20th-century British zoologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{UK-zoologist-stub