Arthur Thomson (anatomist)
Encyclopedia
Arthur Thomson was a British anatomist
and anthropologist
. He is best remembered for his formulation of Thomson's Nose Rule, which states that ethnic groups originating in cold, arid climates tend to have longer and thinner noses, while the noses of those from warm, humid climates tend to be shorter and thicker. The longer nose is an adaptation that heats and moistens inhaled air in higher latitudes.
. Acland was determined to create a medical school at Oxford, but after he fell ill, Thomson had to bear much of the administrative burden. This would eventually prevent him from reaching his potential as a scholar. Once the diploma for anthropology was formed in 1905, Thomson would be one of three professors who would make up the Oxford anthropology department until he retired in 1933. From 1919 until his retirement, he was Dr Lee's Professor of Anatomy at Oxford (the first to hold that title) and also held a fellowship at Christ Church, Oxford
.
His main pastime was watercolour painting, and he exhibited work occasionally at the Royal Academy
, where he was a professor of anatomy from 1900 - 1934.
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. He is best remembered for his formulation of Thomson's Nose Rule, which states that ethnic groups originating in cold, arid climates tend to have longer and thinner noses, while the noses of those from warm, humid climates tend to be shorter and thicker. The longer nose is an adaptation that heats and moistens inhaled air in higher latitudes.
Biography
Thomson was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1885 he was hired by Henry Acland to lecture on anatomy at the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. Acland was determined to create a medical school at Oxford, but after he fell ill, Thomson had to bear much of the administrative burden. This would eventually prevent him from reaching his potential as a scholar. Once the diploma for anthropology was formed in 1905, Thomson would be one of three professors who would make up the Oxford anthropology department until he retired in 1933. From 1919 until his retirement, he was Dr Lee's Professor of Anatomy at Oxford (the first to hold that title) and also held a fellowship at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
.
His main pastime was watercolour painting, and he exhibited work occasionally at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, where he was a professor of anatomy from 1900 - 1934.
Publications
- A Handbook of Anatomy for Art Students, Clarendon Press, 1896.
- The ancient races of the Thebaid: being an anthropometrical study of the inhabitants of Upper Egypt from the earliest prehistoric times to the Mohammedan conquest, based upon the examination of over 1,500 crania, Arthur Thomson and D. Randall-Maciver, Clarendon Press, 1905
- "Man's Nasal Index in Relation to Certain Climatic Conditions", Arthur Thomson and L. H. Dudley Buxton, in The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 53, 1923
- The Endowment of Research, essay
External links
- Short entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Obituary in NatureNature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...