James Peter Hill
FRS (21 February 1873 – 24 May 1954) was a Scottish embryologist.
Education
Hill was born in
Kennoway, Scotland on 21 February. He attended the
Royal High School, Edinburgh
The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...
, and graduated with a
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
from 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 ...
in 1903.
Career
Hill moved to
Australia in 1892. In Australia he formed with a group dubbed "The Fraternity of Duckmaloi" that did studies on the
platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or mono ...
and was named for a noted "hunting ground" for the animal. He is also noted for studies of marsupials. He returned to Britain and
UCL in 1906 as the Jodrell Chair of Zoology and curator of what is now the
Grant Museum of Zoology. In 1921 was made the first Chair of Embryology and Histology at UCL.
Awards and honours
He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
in 1913
and delivered their
Croonian Lecture
The Croonian Medal and Lecture is a prestigious award, a medal, and lecture given at the invitation of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians.
Among the papers of William Croone at his death in 1684, was a plan to endow a single ...
in 1929. He received their
Darwin Medal
The Darwin Medal is one of the medals awarded by the Royal Society for "distinction in evolution, biological diversity and developmental, population and organismal biology".
In 1885, International Darwin Memorial Fund was transferred to the ...
in 1940 for his research on marsupials and monotremes. He was elected President of the
Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland The Anatomical Society (AS), previously known as the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland or ASGBI was founded in London in 1887 to "promote, develop and advance research and education in all aspects of anatomical science".
The society o ...
for 1939 to 1941.
Personal life
He had retired in 1938, but is said to have continued working at home until his death.
Duke University article
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References
1873 births
1954 deaths
British zoologists
Scientists from Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal Society
Academics of University College London
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
{{UK-biologist-stub
Jodrell Professors of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy
Presidents of the Anatomical Society