Sir Alexander Haddow FRS

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 ...

(18 January 1907 – 21 January 1976) was a Scottish physician and pathologist at the forefront of cancer research in the 1940s. He served as Director of the

Institute of Cancer Research The Institute of Cancer Research (the ICR) is a public research institute and a member institution of the University of London in London, United Kingdom, specialising in oncology. It was founded in 1909 as a research department of the Royal Mar ...

from 1946 to 1969. He was also President of the Universal Union Against Cancer. His most important discovery was the Haddow Effect, by which a carcinogenic compound can be used to arrest a cancer whose origin is an unrelated carcinogen.

Early life

Haddow was born on 18 January 1907 in

Leven, Fife Leven ( gd, Inbhir Lìobhann) is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes. ...

, Scotland to Margaret Docherty, daughter of a coachman, and William Haddow (d.1928) of Newharthill 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 ...

. His father and grandfather were coal-miners. The family moved to

Broxburn, West Lothian Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road (Great Britain), A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston, West Lothian, Living ...

where his father ran Green Tree Tavern, a small bar and hotel. At age 10, Haddow fell ill with

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

and remained frail and introverted. By age of 11, Haddow also suffered from appendicitis. He was much impressed by the family GP, Dr Alexander Scott, who treated him on both occasions and became his role model. Dr Scott was known for his studies of skin cancers in the local mining population. Haddow attended Broxburn High School then he attended

Broxburn Academy Broxburn Academy is a secondary school in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland. Notable alumni *Hannah Bardell – Scottish National Party MP for Livingston (2015–present) *Sir Alexander Haddow – Physician and pathologist * Chris Lilley – Comp ...

, winning the Dux Medal.

Education

In 1929, Haddow graduated with an

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

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 ...

Career

Haddow was an assistant to Professor Thomas Jones Mackie at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

, also lecturing in bacteriology at the University of Edinburgh, where he became a full lecturer in 1932. The university awarded him with two doctorates (PhD 1937 and MD 1938). In 1936, he moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to join Ernest Kennaway's team at the Royal Cancer Hospital. In 1946, he succeeded Kennaway as Director of the Chester Beatty Research Institute, later renamed the

. In 1958, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and, in 1961, 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 ...

, where his proposers included

Alan William Greenwood Alan William Greenwood CBE FRSE (29 June 1897 – 4 May 1981) was a Scottish zoologist and geneticist, who helped pave the way to creating Dolly the Sheep. He served as Director of the Poultry Research Centre from 1947 until 1962. Life He ...

Robert Cruikshank Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank (27 September 1789 – 13 March 1856), was a caricaturist, illustrator and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of George Cruikshank, both sons of Isaac Cruikshank. Just ...

, and

Richard Swain Richard Swain (born 2 July 1975) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international , he played club football in Australia for the Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm (with ...

. He was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1966. In 1972, he retired to

Chalfont St Giles Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont. It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, ...

. By this time he was almost totally blind due to

diabetes 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 ap ...

, which also caused the loss of his limbs.

Personal life

In 1932, Haddow married Lucia Lindsay Crosby Black (d. 1968), a medical practitioner. Their son, William George Haddow, was born in 1934. After the death of his first wife, he remarried in 1970 to Mrs Feo Standing ( Garner; died 30 January 2013), a scientific photographer, 22 years his junior. He gained two step-children by this second marriage.

Death

Haddow had diabetes and related blindness. On 21 January 1976, three days after his 69th birthday, Haddow died at Amersham General Hospital in

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...

, England. He was cremated.

References

External links

American Association for Cancer Research

Royal College of Physicians - Lives of the Fellows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haddow, Alexander 1907 births 1976 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Leven, Fife Scottish surgeons Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Cancer researchers Scottish blind people Academics of the Institute of Cancer Research 20th-century surgeons Scientists with disabilities