Claude Gordon Douglas
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Claude Gordon Douglas FRS (26 February 1882 in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
– 23 March 1963 in
Radcliffe Infirmary The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central north Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street. History The initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forw ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
) was a British physiologist, known for his research on respiratory physiology and the invention of the Douglas Bag.Claude Gordon Douglas, douglas.history.co.uk
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Biography

C. Gordon Douglas was the second son of the prominent surgeon Claude Douglas. After education at Berkshire's
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...
and at Leicester's Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys, C. Gordon Douglas matriculated in 1900 at
New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...
. However, in his first term he won a demyship to
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
, where he graduated in 1904 with B.A. After his B.A. he received in 1906 the research degree of BSc for work done at Oxford's physiology laboratory under the supervision of
John Scott Haldane John Scott Haldane (; 2 May 1860 – 14/15 March 1936) was a British physician and physiologist famous for intrepid self-experimentation which led to many important discoveries about the human body and the nature of gases. He also experimen ...
. In 1906 Douglas received a London University scholarship at
Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
. There he received M.B., B.Chir. (Oxon.) in December 1907. About six months earlier he had been elected to a fellowship at
St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...
. He held the fellowship from 1907 to 1949. He was given the higher medical qualification
Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...
in 1913. From 1908 to 1914, Douglas did research with John Scott Haldane on human respiration. In 1910 Nathan Zuntz organised a high-altitude expedition to
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
in the Canary Islands; the participants included Douglas from Oxford,
Joseph Barcroft Sir Joseph Barcroft (26 July 1872 – 21 March 1947) was a British physiologist best known for his studies of the oxygenation of blood. Life Born in Newry, County Down into a Quaker family, he was the son of Henry Barcroft DL and Anna Richar ...
from Cambridge, and
Arnold Durig Arnold Durig (12 November 1872 – 18 October 1961) was an Austrian physiologist remembered for his investigations involving physiological and pathophysiological aspects of individuals exposed to high altitude conditions. He very probably ...
from Berlin. In 1911 J. S. Haldane, Douglas,
Yandell Henderson Yandell Henderson (April 23, 1873 – February 18, 1944) was an American physiologist. West, John B. (1988"Yandell Henderson"in ''Biographical Memoirs'' Vol. 74. American Academies Press
, and Edward C. Schneider were the four principal members of an Anglo-American expedition to Pikes Peak in Colorado to do research on high-altitude breathing. The four principal members, but no other expedition participants, went to the summit house of Pikes Peak. Mabel Purefoy FitzGerald joined the expedition to conduct research of mining town residents at lower altitudes. Gerald B. Webb, J. Richards and J. E. Fuller also did research for the Pikes Peak expedition. From 1914 to 1919, Douglas served 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 ...
, where he attained the rank of temporary lieutenant-colonel. After the
gas attacks at Wulverghem The Gas attacks at Wulverghem (30 April and 17 June 1916) were German cloud gas releases during the First World War on British troops in the municipality of Heuvelland, near Ypres in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The gas attacks were p ...
in the Second Battle of Ypres, John Scott Haldane and Douglas were rushed to a central laboratory at the British General Headquarters in Ypres. During World War I, Joseph Barcroft, John Scott Haldane, and Douglas were among the leading technical experts on gas warfare. At Oxford, Douglas became in 1919 demonstrator in general metabolism, reader in 1937, and professor in 1942, retiring as professor in 1949 at the mandatory retirement age. However, he accepted the position of demonstrator so that he could continue teaching and retired as demonstrator in 1953. After 1920 the work of Douglas and his research students dealt mainly with the effects of exercise on respiration, metabolism, and the circulatory system. One of his last three research students was
Roger Bannister Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister (23 March 1929 – 3 March 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres and ...
. After 1920 Douglas also devoted more time to government committee work. C. Gordon Douglas died unmarried. His older brother James Sholto Cameron Douglas was appointed to the Joseph Hunter chair of pathology at the University of Sheffield.


Awards and honours

*1911 – Radcliffe Prize *1919 – CMG *1922 – Fellow of the Royal Society *1945 – Osler Memorial Medal, University of Oxford *1950 – Honorary Fellow of St Johns


Selected publications

* *with John Scott Haldane: *with John Scott Haldane &
J. B. S. Haldane John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (; 5 November 18921 December 1964), nicknamed "Jack" or "JBS", was a British-Indian scientist who worked in physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and mathematics. With innovative use of statistics in biolog ...
(1912). *with Johanne Christiansen & John Scott Haldane:


References


External links


Claude Gordon Douglas – Person – National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Claude Gordon 1882 births 1963 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford British Army personnel of World War I British physiologists Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Health professionals from Leicester Royal Army Medical Corps officers Military personnel from Leicester Academics of the University of Sheffield