Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell (23 November 1864 – 2 July 1945) was a Scottish zoologist who was Secretary of the
Zoological Society of London from 1903 to 1935.
During this time, he directed the policy of the Zoological Gardens of London and created the world's first open zoological park,
Whipsnade Zoo.
Early life
Peter Chalmers Mitchell was the son of the Rev. Alexander Mitchell, a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
minister in
Dunfermline, Scotland, and Marion Chalmers. Mitchell gained an
MA at the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
, and moved to
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, where he read for natural science, specialising in zoology. After success in the honours examination of 1888, he was appointed University Demonstrator in Zoology.
In 1896, he was the anonymous author of an article in the ''
Saturday Review'' entitled "A Biological View of English Foreign Policy" which proposed the inevitability of a final battle between Britain and Germany, in which one would have to be destroyed. (Having acknowledged his authorship during World War I, he still declared himself "unrepentant" about it in a letter to ''The Times'' in May 1939, describing the article as "prophetic").
In April 1916, now an army Captain, he was responsible for setting up a specialist department
MI7(B)4 to oversee the production of military propaganda to be dropped from the air over enemy lines.
Zoo
Despite a tenure of 32 years, Mitchell was not the longest-serving Secretary of the Zoological Society. His predecessor,
Philip Lutley Sclater, had been in office over forty years, from 1860 to 1902. Mitchell was succeeded by
Julian Huxley.
Mitchell's brainchild,
Whipsnade Park, was opened in 1931 on the
Dunstable Downs, in the heart of
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
. Whipsnade is an open air zoo in the countryside, where animals occupy large enclosures rather than cages. The park is involved in a variety of conservation activities.
In 1933 he was one of eleven people involved in the appeal that led to the foundation of the
British Trust for Ornithology
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The William, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020.
History
Beginning
In 1931 Max Nicholson ...
(BTO), an organisation for the study of
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in the British Isles.
Lectures
In 1911, Mitchell delivered the
Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on ''The Childhood of Animals''.
In February 1915, Mitchell gave three lectures on the subject of evolution and foreign policy at the
Royal Institution that expanded upon his 1896 article. These were combined and published in the form of a book entitled ''Evolution and the War'' in May 1915.
Málaga
On retiring from the zoo, Mitchell moved to
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, staying there during the first six months or so of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, until the city was taken on behalf of the rebels by Italian troops. An account of his last days in Málaga, including his arrest along with
Arthur Koestler, is included in Koestler's book ''
Spanish Testament'' and in Mitchell's own memoir, ''My House in Málaga'', published in 1938.
Politics
Mitchell stood as an
independent candidate at the
1938 Combined Scottish Universities by-election, but took last position, with 13.5% of the votes cast.
Death
Mitchell died on 2 July 1945, aged 80, after being injured in an accident on 29 June outside the
London Zoo. After stepping off a bus, he was struck by a taxicab. A jury ruled the death accidental.
Legacy
A
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of South American
worm lizard, ''
Amphisbaena mitchelli'', is named in his honour. He also proved, in a now classic treatise, namely, “On the Intestinal Tract of Mammals,” that the caecum of Mammals is directly homologous with the paired caeca of Birds; that is to say, a pair being the original state.
Publications
As author
*1900. ''
Thomas Henry Huxley: a Sketch of his Life and Work''. Putnam's, London & N.Y; 2nd ed. Methuen, London 1913.
*1911. ''Official Guide to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London'', Zoological Society of London, London.
*1912. ''The Childhood of Animals''. Heinemann; Penguin.
*1915. ''Evolution and the War''. J. Murray, London.
*1930. ''Materialism and Vitalism in Biology''. Oxford.
*1931. ''A Centenary History of the London Zoo''.
*1937. ''My Fill of Days''. Faber & Faber, London.
*1938. ''My House in Málaga''. Faber & Faber, London. (Republished 2019,
The Clapton Press, London).
As Translator
*1903. ''The Nature of Man: Studies in Optimistic Philosophy'', by
Élie Metchnikoff
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (; – 15 July 1916), also spelled Élie Metchnikoff, was a zoologist from the Russian Empire of Moldavian noble ancestry and alshereat archive.org best known for his research in immunology (study of immune systems) and ...
, G.P. Putnam's Sons, London. The original title in French was ''Études sur la nature humaine'', (1903).
*1934.
The Seven Pillars', by
Wenceslao Fernández Flórez.
*1935. ''Mr Witt Among the Rebels: The Story of a Reluctant Revolutionist in the Days of Victoria'', by
Ramón J. Sender, Faber and Faber, London. The original title in Spanish was ''Mr. Witt en el cantón'', (1935).
*1936. ''Seven Red Sundays'', by Ramón J. Sender, Faber & Faber, London. The original title in Spanish was ''Siete domingos rojos'', (1932).
*1937. ''The War in Spain: a personal narrative,'' by Ramón J. Sender, Faber & Faber, London. The original title in Spanish was ''Contraataque'' (1937).
*1944. ''The Forge'', by
Arturo Barea, Faber and Faber, London. The original title in Spanish was ''La Forja'' (1941).
In addition, like
Henry Scherren FZS, Chalmers Mitchell made a number of contributions to the
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica under the initials "P.C.M.". Chalmers Mitchell was critical of Scherren's history of the ZSL, but was in turn criticised by John Bastin for his work on the same subject.
[Bastin, John (1970). "The First Prospectus of the Zoological Society of London: New Light on the Society's Origins". ''Archives of Natural History'' 5 (5): 369–388. Edinburgh University Press, 1 October 1970]
Deepdyve
/ref>
Bibliography
*
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers Mitchell, Peter
1864 births
1945 deaths
People from Dunfermline
Scottish zoologists
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of the Zoological Society of London
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Bachelor
Secretaries of the Zoological Society of London
Zoo directors
Road incident deaths in London
Pedestrian road incident deaths