Robert Campbell Garry DSc (1933) OBE

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 ...

LLD (1900–1993) was a British physician and Professor of Medicine at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and 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 , ...

. During

World War II 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 ...

, as an expert on human physiology, he advised on human tolerance of

extreme weather Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a locat ...

conditions and forces, as experienced by high altitude pilots.

Life

Garry was born 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 21 April 1900 the son of Mary Campbell and Robert Garry, both from the north-east of Scotland. His father was a biologist who was Head of Science at

Glasgow High School for Girls The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and t ...

. He was educated at Queens Park School in Glasgow. In 1917, he went to 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 , ...

to study medicine, graduating with an MBChB in 1922. While working at the

Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved from the city ...

in Glasgow, he was one of the first clinicians to apply the newly isolated compound,

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

, to a

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

patient in Scotland. In 1933, he took a role as Head of Physiology working with

John Boyd Orr John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, (23 September 1880 – 25 June 1971), styled Sir John Boyd Orr from 1935 to 1949, was a Scottish teacher, medical doctor, biologist, nutritional physiologist, politician, businessman and farmer who was awarde ...

at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

. In the autumn of 1935 he became Professor of Physiology at

University College, Dundee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, which was then part of the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. At the suggestion of

Robert Percival Cook Robert Percival Cook FRSE (1906-1989) was an Australian-born biochemist. He advised the UK government on nutritional issues during the Second World War and was considered an expert in the field of nutrition. He played a key role in the development ...

the department was later renamed the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry. He was an active promoter of the

Workers Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

and was one of the first high-ranking scientists to talk on the radio (from 1936) on scientific matters, raising scientific awareness with the public. 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 ...

in 1937. His proposers were

Alexander David Peacock Alexander David Peacock FRSE (1886–1976) was a 20th-century British zoologist. Life He was born on 13 June 1886 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne the son of James Peacock, a grocer, and his wife, Jane Briggs. He was educated at Newcastle Royal Grammar Scho ...

Percy Theodore Herring Percy Theodore Herring FRSE FRCPE LLD (3 November 1872 – 24 October 1967) was a physician and physiologist, notable for first describing Herring bodies in the posterior pituitary gland. Life He was born in Yorkshire, England, on 3 November ...

, David Rutherford Dow and

Edward Thomas Copson Edward Thomas Copson FRSE (21 August 1901 – 16 February 1980) was a British mathematician who contributed widely to the development of mathematics at the University of St Andrews, serving as Regius Professor of Mathematics amongst other pos ...

. He served as Vice President to the Society from 1952 to 1955. In

he made extensive physiological studies, especially on air crews, to assess the effects of

g-forces The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...

, stress and high altitude. He contributed to the understanding of the gastrointestinal tract, and was the first to use the term 'guarding reflex' with regards to feedback signals of the nervous system. In 1947, he moved from Dundee to the University of Glasgow, and remained there until his retirement in 1970. He retired with his wife,

Flora Garry Flora Garry (30 September 1900 – 16 June 2000) was a Scottish poet who mostly wrote in the Scots dialect of Aberdeenshire. Well known for her poetry, she played an important role along with Charles Murray and John C. Milne in validating the ...

, to the village of

Comrie Comrie may refer to: Places *Comrie (crater), a lunar crater *Comrie, Fife, a village in Fife, Scotland *Comrie, Perth and Kinross, a village and parish in Strathearn, Scotland People with the surname *Aaron Comrie (born 1997), Scottish footballer ...

in Perthshire. In 1992, his former assistant, James Black, awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in his capacity as Chancellor of the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...

. He died after a prolonged illness on 16 April 1993.

Publications

*''Dietary Requirements in Pregnancy and Lactation'' (1937) *''Living and Learning: An Introduction to Plant Animal and Human Biology'' (1939) with

*''Physiology and Biochemistry'' (1952) *''Life in Physiology'', edited by David Smith, published by the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, Glasgow University, (1992) Garry was editor of both the ''Journal of Nutrition'' and ''Journal of Physiology''.Nature (magazine) 27 July 1947

Family

In 1928 he married Flora MacDonald Campbell, and had one son, Frank Campbell Garry, who followed in his father's footsteps and became a doctor of medicine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garry, Robert Campbell 1900 births 1993 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish physiologists Academics of the University of Dundee Academics of the University of St Andrews The Journal of Physiology editors