Henry Hicks (1837–1899) was a Welsh

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

during the 19th century.

Personal life

Henry Hicks was born on 26 May 1837 in the city of St Davids,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. His parents were Anne () and surgeon Thomas Hicks. Hicks married Mary Richardson in February 1864, with whom he had three daughters. He died on 18 November 1899 in Hendon,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

Medical career

Hicks studied medicine 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. ...

in London; in 1862, he became a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

, and was licensed by

Worshipful Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a m ...

. Hicks returned to St Davids to practise medicine, and in 1871, he moved his practise to Hendon, London. Focusing on mental health, Hicks received his

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the 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 professional degree. T ...

from 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 ...

in 1878, ultimately becoming the head of an

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

in Hendon Grove, solely treating women for

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

Geology career

In St Davids, Hicks met palæontologist John William Salter, and became enamored with the burgeoning field of study. Hicks discovered a new '' Lingulella'' in the red, Cambrian-era rocks near his hometown, and wrote of it to the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

. This earned him recognition and a grant from the

British Science Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

, leading him to find up to thirty more Cambrian species in 1868. Post-1868, Hicks included the higher

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

-era strata in his searches. When he began his

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psy ...

work in Hendon Grove, this allowed Hicks much more time to devote to the geologic deposits in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

. Hicks coined the terms Pebidian and Dimetian to describe the Precambrian rocks around St Davids; both descriptors were still used by scientists as of the 2010s. Across the ''

Geological Magazine The ''Geological Magazine'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1864, covering the earth sciences. It publishes original scientific research papers on geological topics. The journal is published bimonthly by Cambridge University ...

'', the '' Proceedings of the Geologists' Association'', the ''Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society'', and the ''Reports of the British Association'', Hicks published 63 papers. He was also the first to discover

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s (of the Silurian) in the Morte Slates Formation. Hicks was active in the British Science Association, Fellow and president of the

Geologists' Association The Geologists' Association, founded in 1858, is a British organisation with charitable status for those concerned with the study of geology. It publishes the ''Proceedings of the Geologists' Association'' and jointly with the Geological Society ...

from 1883–1885, and made 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 ...

on 4 June 1885. He was awarded the

Bigsby Medal The Bigsby Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London established by John Jeremiah Bigsby. It is awarded for the study of American geology. Recipients SourcThe Geological Society See also * List of geology awards * Prizes named afte ...

from the Geological Society in 1883, became

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

from 1890–1893, 46th president from 1896–1898, and vice-president in 1899 at the time of his death.

Fossils described

* ''Agnostus cambrensis'' (renamed ''Peronopsis (Peronopsis) integra'') * ''

Conocoryphe ''Conocoryphe'' is a genus of primarily eyeless trilobites belonging to the family Conocoryphidae. They lived during the Middle Cambrian period, about 505 million years ago. These arthropods lived on the sea bottom (epifaunal) and lived off dea ...

lyellii'', (renamed ''Bailiella lyellii'') * ''Microdiscus sculptus'' * ''Paradoxides harknessi'' (renamed ''Eccaparadoxides harknessi'') * ''Plutonia sedgwickii'' (renamed '' Plutonides sedgwickii'') * ''Theca antiqua''

Publications

* * * * HICKS, H. Results of recent Researches in some Bone-caves in North Wales (Fynnon Bueno and Cae Gwyn), By Henry Hicks, M.D., F.R.S., F.G.S.; with a Note on the Animal Remains, by W. Davies, Esq., F.G.S. ''Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society'' for February 1886. *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Henry 1837 births 1899 deaths 19th-century Welsh medical doctors Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society people from Hendon people from St Davids physicians of Guy's Hospital presidents of the Geological Society of London Welsh geologists Presidents of the Geologists' Association