Alexander David Peacock

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". ...

(1886–1976) was a 20th-century British zoologist.

Life

He was born on 13 June 1886 in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

the son of James Peacock, a grocer, and his wife, Jane Briggs. He was educated at Newcastle Royal Grammar School then studied Natural Science at Armstrong College in Newcastle, graduating BSc in 1904. Continuing as a postgraduate he gained an MSc and DSc at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. As a postgraduate he taught both at Jarrow School and lectured in Zoology at Armstrong College. In 1911 he went to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

to teach at the Nigerian Agriculture Department. He returned to Newcastle in 1913 to lecture in zoology at Armstrong College but this was interrupted by the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As a

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he was immediately called up, serving in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

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. However, he was recalled to Britain to help training, lecturing in insect effects on troops and on

trench fever Trench fever (also known as "five-day fever", "quintan fever" (), and "urban trench fever") is a moderately serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium '' Bartonella quintana'' and transmitted by body lice. From 1915 to 1918 between one-f ...

, under the rank of captain. He returned to Armstrong in 1919. In 1923 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 ...

. His proposers were Sir

James Hartley Ashworth James Hartley Ashworth (2 May 1874 – 4 February 1936) was a British marine zoologist. Life See He was born on 2, May 1874, in Accrington in Lancashire, the only son of James Ashworth. He spent most of his early life in Burnley, attending t ...

, John William Heslop-Harrison, George Leslie Purser, and John Stephenson. He won the Society's Keith Prize for the period 1953 to 1955. In 1926 he became Professor of Natural History at University College, Dundee, which was then a 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 ...

. The following year, he was awarded a DSc for his research into

. In 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 was in charge of pest control in relation to Scotland's food supply, under the Ministry of Supply. In

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

he was involved deeply with the local Polish community and was president of the city's Polish Society. He also took a strong interest in adult education and was a member of the local Education Committee as well as the Workers' Education Association. He died in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

on 2 March 1976 aged 89. His academic and other papers are held by Archive Services 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 ...

Family

In 1917, he married with Clara Mary Turner. Their daughter Joan Peacock was born in 1918. Another of their children was the noted economist and academic Sir Alan Turner Peacock, born in 1922.

Publications

*''Animal Life in the Dundee District'' (1936) *''An Introduction to Plant, Animal and Human Biology'' (1939) *''We See Twice as Much as Before'' (1941) on Scottish-Polish relationships *''The Biology and Control of the Ant Pest Monomorium Pharaonis'' (1950) *''

Patrick Geddes Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban plannin ...

: Biologist'' (1954)

References

1886 births 1976 deaths Scientists from Newcastle upon Tyne 20th-century British zoologists Academics of Durham University Academics of the University of Dundee Academics of the University of St Andrews Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of Armstrong College, Durham {{UK-zoologist-stub