Malcolm Wilson

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 ...

FLS (1882–1960) was a 20th-century Scottish botanist and mycologist. He was an expert on the identification of dry rot and its remediation.

Life

Wilson studied science 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 1905. In 1909 he became Senior Demonstrator in Botany at Imperial College, London. He gained a doctorate (DSc) in 1911. He was created a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1910. He joined the Botany Department of 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 1911 as the first lecturer in

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

and bacteriology. 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 ...

he returned to London to serve as a pathologist at the County of London War Hospital. He returned to the University of Edinburgh after the war. In 1920 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

Isaac Bayley Balfour Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, KBE, FRS, FRSE (31 March 1853 – 30 November 1922) was a Scottish botanist. He was Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow from 1879 to 1885, Sherardian Professor of Botany at the University of Oxfor ...

, Frederick Orpen Bower,

James Hartley Ashworth James Hartley Ashworth FRS FRSE DSc SZS (2 May 1874 – 4 February 1936) was a British marine zoologist. Life See He was born on 2, May 1874, in Accrington in Lancashire, the only son of James Ashworth. He spent most of his early life in Bu ...

and Robert Wallace. His students included Dr Mary Noble (1911-2002)Scotsman (newspaper) obituary of Mary Noble 8 August 2002 and

Douglas Mackay Henderson Douglas Mackay Henderson CBE FRSE FLS (30 August 1927 – 10 November 2007) was a Scottish botanist, the 12th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1970 to 1987. Life He was born in Blairgowrie on 30 August 1927, the secon ...

. He retired in 1951 and went to live with his son Graham in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, dying there on 8 July 1960.

Family

He was father to Graham Malcolm Wilson and

Cedric Wilson Cedric Wilson (born 6 June 1948) is a Northern Irish Unionist politician who served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Strangford from 1998 to 2003. Elected as a UK Unionist Party (UKUP) candidate to the Assembly, Wilson ...

Publications

*''The Blueing of Coniferous Timber'' (1923) *''British Rust Fungi'' (completed and published by

in 1966)

References

1882 births 1960 deaths Alumni of the University of London Scottish mycologists Academics of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Linnean Society of London {{UK-botanist-stub