Robert Percival Cook
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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 Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...
(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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...
, 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 language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, 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 Trinity Grammar School, Kew (abbreviated to TGS) is an Independent school, independent, Anglican Day school, day school for boys, located in Kew, Victoria, Kew in Melbourne, Australia. The school was founded at a meeting of the vestry of Holy T ...
and the
Scotch College, Melbourne Scotch College is a private, Presbyterian day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college was established in 1851 as The Melbourne Academy in a house in Spri ...
before going on to study Chemistry at the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to work in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of London. In October 1926 he went to
Caius College Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
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. He also discovered the amino ...
in their Biochemistry Laboratory. In the late 1920s he went to the
Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (, ) 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 for anthrax and rabies. Th ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where he met his wife-to-be. He returned to Cambridge in 1930, and received a PhD that year. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 from 1940. At this time the College, which later became a university in its own right was part of the
University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...
. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1942. He became an international authority on
cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...
, 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 The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...
, 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 (RSE) 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 establis ...
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