William Cramer
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". ...
(2 June 1878 – 10 August 1945) was a British
pathologist
Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
and
physiologist
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out chemical and ...
, best known for his work with the
Imperial Cancer Research Fund
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and ...
.
Biography
William Cramer was born in Germany on 2 June 1878.
[''British physiologists 1885-1914: a biographical dictionary,'' Manchester University Press ND, 1991, p394-5] He received his first tertiary education at the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...
,
["William Cramer, D.Sc., Ph.D., M.R.C.S.," ''The British Medical Journal,'' Vol. 2, No. 4417 (Sep. 1, 1945), p. 304] and received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
at the
University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany.
The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...
in 1901.
[ He achieved his ]D.Sc.
A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world.
Africa
Algeria and Morocco
In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
in 1908,[ during which time he had worked under Swale Vincent.][C. Lovatt Evans (1934) "T. Swale Vincent, M.D., D.Sc., Ll.D. Formerly Professor Of Physiology, University Of London," ''The British Medical Journal,'' Vol. 1, No. 3810 (Jan. 13, 1934), pp. 83-84] Cramer took the English Conjoint qualification after nine years as a chemical physiology lecturer at Edinburgh.[ He had worked briefly for the ]Imperial Cancer Research Fund
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and ...
in 1904;[ he rejoined the organisation in 1914.][
In 1907 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 Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer
Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer (2 June 1850 – 29 March 1935) was a British physiologist.
He is regarded as a founder of endocrinology: in 1894 he discovered and demonstrated the existence of adrenaline together with George Oliver, and he a ...
, Francis H A Marshall, Alexander Crum Brown
Alexander Crum Brown Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish Organic chemistry, organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildi ...
and James Cossar Ewart
James Cossar Ewart Royal Society, FRS FRSE (26 November 1851 – 31 December 1933) was a Scottish zoologist. He performed breeding experiments with horses and zebras which disproved earlier theories of heredity.
Life
Ewart was born in Pe ...
.
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I
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 ...
, Cramer became a naturalised
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
British citizen. He was elected a Foreign Member of the German Society for the Investigation of Cancer.[ In 1933, he was an official British delegate at the International Cancer Congress in ]Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,[ and again in 1934 at the International Cancer Research conference 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 ...
.[ In 1939, after 25 years with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cramer relocated to ]St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
,[ where he was head pathologist at the Barnard Skin and Cancer Hospital,][ and a research associate at ]Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...
.[
Throughout his career, Cramer authored numerous papers on cancer, physiology, and biochemistry.][ His textbook, ''Practical Course in Chemical Physiology,'' had reached its fourth edition by 1920.][ Cramer belonged to the ]Physiological Society
The Physiological Society, founded in 1876, is an international learned society for physiologists with headquarters in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
History
The Physiological Society was founded in 1876 as a dining society "for mutual benefit ...
, the Pathological Society
The Pathological Society is a professional organization of Great Britain and Ireland whose mission is stated as 'understanding disease'.
Membership and profile
The membership of the society is mainly drawn from the UK and includes an internatio ...
, and the Biochemical Society
The Biochemical Society is a learned society in the United Kingdom in the field of biochemistry, including all the cellular and molecular biosciences. It was founded in 1911 and acquired the existing '' Biochemical Journal'' the following year. T ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, William
1878 births
1945 deaths
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
British pathologists
German emigrants to the United Kingdom
Washington University School of Medicine faculty