Prof David Ellis

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". ...

(1874–1937) was a Scottish bacteriologist, botanist and baker. He was an academic author in all three fields.

Life

He was born in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

in north

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on 9 June 1874. He attended the

University College of Wales Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

1890-96. From 1896 to 1898 he was Science Master at the County School in Aberystwyth. He then went to the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

gaining a doctorate (DSc) before going to

Marburg University The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protes ...

where he gained a second doctorate (PhD). In 1904 he became a Lecturer in Botany and Bacteriology at the West of Scotland Technical College. He married Jeannie Wright Paulin in Muckhart in 1906, and the same year 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 David Paulin, George Alexander Gibson, Sir Arthur Mitchell and James Chatham. In later life he lived at 10 Spring Gardens in

Kelvinside Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...

in Glasgow. In 1920 he became Superintendent of the Scottish School of Bakery, and from 1925 until death was Professor of Bacteriology at the Royal Technical College, Glasgow. In December 1925 he appears to have made an early radio broadcast entitled "Why we Attribute Life to Plants". He died in

Bearsden Bearsden ( ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. The Roman Empire, Roman Antonine Wall runs through the town, and the remains of ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

on 16 January 1937.

Publications

*''On the Discovery of a New Genus of Thread-Bacteria'' (1907) *''Outlines of Bacteriology: Technical and Agricultural'' (1909) *''Herbal Medicines and Poisonous Plants'' (1918) *''Guide to Common Wild Flowers of the West of Scotland'' (1925) *''Guide to Common Wild Flowers in Wales'' (1925) *''The Science and Practice of Confectionery'' (1928)Culinary Landmarks: A History of Canadian Cookbooks 1825-1949

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, David 1874 births 1937 deaths British botanists Scottish bacteriologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of London People from Aberystwyth