Diarmid Noël Paton, (19 March 1859 – 30 September 1928), known as Noël Paton, was a Scottish physician and academic. From 1906 to 1928, he was the Regius Professor of Physiology at 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 , ...

Personal life and education

Paton was born at 37 Drummond Place in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Stree ...

, the son of Margaret (née Ferrier) and

Joseph Noel Paton Sir Joseph Noel Paton (13 December 1821 – 26 December 1901) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a poet and had an interest in, and knowledge of, Scottish folklore and Celtic legends. Early life He was born in Woo ...

. His father worked as an artist. He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

, and 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 ...

where he graduated with a BSc in 1880, and MB, CM with first-class honours in 1882. In 1898 he married Agatha (Agate) Henrietta Balfour. They were parents to Donald Noel Paton and Olivia Campbell Paton. He died while walking along the banks of the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the ...

near his home at Stobo in the Scottish Borders on 30 September 1928.

Career

After a short period of study in Europe, Paton took up positions 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 ...

and later the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. He received a fellowship in 1883 to work in the University of Edinburgh's physiological department with Professor William Rutherford. In 1886 he became a lecturer in physiology at Surgeons' Hall, and in the same year was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1886. His proposers were William Rutherford,

Andrew Douglas Maclagan Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan PRSE FRCPE FRCSE FCS FRSSA (17 April 1812, in Ayr – 5 April 1900, in Edinburgh) was a Scottish surgeon, toxicologist and scholar of medical jurisprudence. He served as president of 5 learned societies: the Royal ...

Sir William Turner Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916. Life Turner was born in Lancaster ...

and

Peter Guthrie Tait Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook ''Treatise on Natural Philosophy'', which he co-wrote wi ...

. In 1889, he was appointed Director of the research laboratory of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

and devoted his time increasingly to research and teaching. During this time he taught at the

Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine Extramural medical education in Edinburgh began over 200 years before the university medical faculty was founded in 1726 and extramural teaching continued thereafter for a further 200 years. Extramural is academic education which is conducted o ...

, giving lectures in physiology at Surgeons' Hall. He was appointed to the Regius Chair of Physiology at the University of Glasgow in 1906, a position he held until his retirement in 1928. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

in 1914, and served as its Vice President from 1918 to 1921 . His early research in Edinburgh had centred on

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 ...

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...

and the physiology of nutrition. In Glasgow he expanded on these, researching the physiology and pathology of the parathyyoid glands. His interest in nutrition continued. In Glasgow at that time deprivation was common and Paton investigated the relationship between poverty, nutrition, and growth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, Diamid Noel 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of Edinburgh University of Edinburgh Medical School alumni 1859 births 1928 deaths Academics from Edinburgh People educated at Edinburgh Academy Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh