Robert Percival Cook

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 ...

(1906-1989) was an Australian-born biochemist. He advised the UK government on nutritional issues during 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 ...

and was considered an expert in the field of nutrition. He played a key role in the development of life sciences at 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 ...

, with his colleague and fellow biochemist Geoffrey Dutton noting that Cook served the "University very well indeed."

Life

He was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia on 14 April 1906, the fourth of five children to Francis Percival Cook (1867-1933), a stationer and printer, and his wife, Alice May Margaret Robertson (1870-1950). He was educated at

Trinity Grammar School, Kew , motto_translation = Act Courageously , established = 1902 , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding school , denomination = Anglican , chairman = Simon Gip ...

and the

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

before going on to study Chemistry at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

1922 to 1925.In April 1926 he travelled to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to work in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of London. In October 1926 he went to

Caius College 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 t ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

to work under Prof

Frederick Gowland Hopkins Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (20 June 1861 – 16 May 1947) was an English biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929, with Christiaan Eijkman, for the discovery of vitamins, even though Casimir Funk, a Po ...

in their Biochemistry Laboratory. In the late 1920s he went to the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...

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 ...

where he met his wife-to-be. He returned to Cambridge in 1930, and received a PhD that year. During the

he undertook nutritional research for the government, and in 1940 took up the post of Lecturer in Biochemistry in the Department 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 ...

from 1940. At this time the College, which later became a university in its own right was 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 ...

. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1942. He became an international authority on

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

, undertaking a large number experiments upon his own self including measuring the effect egg consumption had upon his blood. At Cook's suggestion the department was renamed the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry. In March 1966 he was made head of the newly independent Department of Biochemistry at

Queen's College, Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , t ...

, as University College had become known as in 1954. The college became the University of Dundee in 1967. In January 1972 he was awarded a personal chair in biochemistry at the university and in 1973, following his retirement due to ill health, he was made an emeritus professor. Cook's efforts in building up biochemistry in Dundee made it possible for the university to go on to become a leading institution for life science teaching and research. It was thanks to Cook that the university first appointed a professor of biochemistry in 1970, although he himself refused to be considered for the position, as he felt a younger candidate from outside the university should be appointed. 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 1946. He died on 26 August 1989. He was survived by his wife Matilda who died in 1998. His papers are held by the University of Dundee's Archive Services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Robert Percival 1906 births 1989 deaths Scientists from Melbourne Australian biochemists Academics of the University of Dundee Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Academics of the University of St Andrews People educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom