Kenneth Macfarlane Walker (6 June 1882 – 22 January 1966) was a British author,

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and

urological Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive organ ...

surgeon.

Biography

Walker was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London. He was educated at

The Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England. It is a day and boarding school for about 574 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Histo ...

and

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

. He studied at Cambridge University and the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

. He served as captain in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

(1915–1919). He took the F.R.C.S. in 1908 and was awarded the Jacksonian Prize in 1910 for his essay on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

of the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...

. He worked as a surgeon at

St. Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

and was emeritus surgeon at

Royal Northern Hospital The Royal Northern Hospital was a general hospital on Holloway Road, London N7, near Tollington Way. It had inpatient, outpatient, accident and emergency facilities and was also a centre for postgraduate education. History The hospital was foun ...

. Walker authored many books. He wrote '' The Log of the Ark'' with Geoffrey Boumphrey in 1923. He was the author of '' Meaning and Purpose'' (1944), an analysis of the main scientific theories of the last hundred years and their impact upon religious thought and belief. It aimed at questioning the completeness of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

's theory of

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...

and evolution, as well as evaluating the most relevant scientific discoveries at the time of publication and their effect on the general population. He also attacked mechanistic accounts of the universe and natural selection in his book ''Life's Long Journey'' (1961). He studied the ideas and methods of

George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...

with P. D. Ouspensky, and when the latter died in 1947 he visited Gurdjieff himself in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He contributed thoughtful pieces to the ''

Picture Post ''Picture Post'' was a photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months. ...

'', a highly popular publication, and was referred to by a friend as 'The Sage of Picture Post.' He conducted study groups in the Gurdjieff Society London. Among his books are ''A Study of Gurdjieff's Teaching'', and ''Venture with Ideas''. His writing style was simple and direct. Walker was also interested in

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

. In his book ''The Extra-Sensory Mind'' he supported the controversial claims of

radionics Radionics—also called electromagnetic therapy (EMT) and the Abrams Method—is a form of alternative medicine that claims that disease can be diagnosed and treated by applying electromagnetic radiation (EMR), such as radio waves, to the bo ...

Publications

*'' The Log of the Ark'' (1923) ith Geoffrey Boumphrey*''Sex and a changing civilisation'' (1935) *''Diagnosis of Man'' (1942) *''The Circle of Life: A Search for an Attitude to Pain, Disease, Old Age and Death'' (1942) *''I Talk of Dreams: An Experiment in Autobiography'' (1946) *'' Meaning and Purpose'' (1944, 1950) *''Commentary on Age'' (1952)
''Ventures with Ideas: Meetings with Gurdjieff and Ouspensky''
(1952) *''Living Your Later Years (1954) *''Sexual Disorders in the Male'' (1954) ith Eric Benjamin Strauss*''The Physiology of Sex and Its Social Implications'' (1954) *''The Physiology of Sex'' (1954) *''Sex and Society: A Psychological Study of Sexual Behaviour in a Competitive Culture'' (1955) ith Peter Fletcher*''The Story of Medicine'' (1955) "Joseph Lister" (1956) *''The Story of Blood'' (1958)
''The Extra-Sensory Mind''
(1961) *''Life's Long Journey'' (1961) *''The Conscious Mind: A Commentary on the Mystics'' (1962) *''Human Physiology'' (1963) *''The Making of Man'' (1963) *''Sex and Society'' (1964) *''A Study of Gurdjieff's Teaching'' (1965) *''The Mystic Mind'' (1965)

References

External links

Kenneth Walker Bibliography from Open Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Kenneth 1882 births 1966 deaths British urologists English children's writers English humorists People from Hampstead English writers on paranormal topics British parapsychologists 20th-century English philosophers