Douglas Carruthers
Encyclopedia
Alexander Douglas Mitchell Carruthers (Born, London, 4 October 1882; Died, London, 23 May 1962) was an explorer and naturalist of some repute. He was the son of the Reverend William Mitchell Carruthers of Holbrook
, and was an explorer in the Middle East
in the early 1900s.
Carruthers was educated at Haileybury College and Trinity College, Cambridge
. He worked as secretary to a number of people active at the Royal Geographical Society
, and underwent training in land survey work, also becoming an expert taxidermist.
Aged 23, Carruthers took part in the British Museum
expedition to Ruwenzori in the Congo
, 1905–1906 and sent home specimens of birds and mammals. He later joined John H Miller and Morgan Philips Price
in an expedition through the desert of Outer Mongolia
, publishing two volumes on Unknown Mongolia in 1913.
During the First World War Carruthers was employed mainly at the War Office
compiling maps of the Middle East; his later career consisted largely of map making and working with explorers and travellers.
In 1910 Carruthers was awarded the Gill memorial, and in 1912 the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, which he was to serve as Honorary Secretary from 1916 to 1921 and as a Fellow from 1909 to 1962. In 1956 Carruthers was awarded the Sykes medal of the Royal Central Asian Society.
In 1972 Professor Owen Lattimore
gave The First Douglas Carruthers Memorial Lecture on "Douglas Carruthers and Geographical Contrasts in Central Asia.
He wrote many books, and collected a large number of specimens, some of which are still the only samples of those species in the British Museum, and some bear his name, "nnn Carruthersi". Upon his death, his papers were lodged at Royal Geographical Society in London.
Several of his books have been re-printed since 2007.
Holbrook
-Places:Australia*Holbrook, New South WalesEngland*Holbrook, Derbyshire*Holbrook, Somerset*Holbrook, South Yorkshire*Holbrook, Suffolk*Holbrook, Horsham, West SussexUnited States*Holbrook, Arizona*Holbrook, Idaho*Holbrook, Massachusetts...
, and was an explorer in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in the early 1900s.
Carruthers was educated at Haileybury College and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He worked as secretary to a number of people active at the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, and underwent training in land survey work, also becoming an expert taxidermist.
Aged 23, Carruthers took part in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
expedition to Ruwenzori in the Congo
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
, 1905–1906 and sent home specimens of birds and mammals. He later joined John H Miller and Morgan Philips Price
Morgan Philips Price
Morgan Philips Price was a British politician and a Labour Party Member of Parliament .He was born in The Grove, Taynton, near Gloucester. His father, William Edwin Price, was also a British MP, serving for the seat of Tewkesbury. M. Philips Price was schooled at Harrow and Trinity College,...
in an expedition through the desert of Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
, publishing two volumes on Unknown Mongolia in 1913.
During the First World War Carruthers was employed mainly at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
compiling maps of the Middle East; his later career consisted largely of map making and working with explorers and travellers.
In 1910 Carruthers was awarded the Gill memorial, and in 1912 the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, which he was to serve as Honorary Secretary from 1916 to 1921 and as a Fellow from 1909 to 1962. In 1956 Carruthers was awarded the Sykes medal of the Royal Central Asian Society.
In 1972 Professor Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of Central Asia, especially Mongolia. In the 1930s he was editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and then taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1938 to 1963...
gave The First Douglas Carruthers Memorial Lecture on "Douglas Carruthers and Geographical Contrasts in Central Asia.
He wrote many books, and collected a large number of specimens, some of which are still the only samples of those species in the British Museum, and some bear his name, "nnn Carruthersi". Upon his death, his papers were lodged at Royal Geographical Society in London.
Several of his books have been re-printed since 2007.