James Bell Pettigrew
Encyclopedia
James Bell Pettigrew, FRS FRSE FRCPE (26 May 1834 - 30 January 1908) was a Scottish
naturalist and museum curator. He was a distinguished naturalist in Edinburgh and London, and at St Andrews University from 1875 until his death. Pettigrew was an internationally acknowledged authority on animal locomotion
.
Pettigrew was born at Roxhill, Calderbank
, Lanarkshire, the son of Robert Pettigrew. He was educated at the Free West Academy in Airdrie and at the Universities of Glasgow
and Edinburgh
. After a late start in Medicine in Edinburgh, Pettigrew flourished under the tutelage of John Goodsir
with whom he developed a research programme in the anatomy of the human heart. Most unusually, as an undergraduate, he was invited to deliver the Croonian Lectures of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1860. In these lectures, Pettigrew advanced a remarkable discussion of the anatomical arrangement of the musculature of the heart. In 1861 he graduated in medicine from Edinburgh and became House Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. From an early age, Pettigrew demonstrated a remarkable flair for morphological analysis and an analytical grasp of natural history.
In 1862 Pettigrew accepted the post of Assistant Curator at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London which he held for five years. In 1867 he retired to Ireland (possibly suffering from a psychiatric disorder) to study the flight of birds and bats. He had a passionate interest in animal locomotion and, more particularly, in the theory of flight, and around the turn of the century made several prototypes of an ornithopter
of his own design.
In 1868, at the age of 36, Pettigrew was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1869 he returned to Scotland to take up a position as Curator of the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
and as pathologist to the Royal Infirmary. In 1872 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
and in the following year a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
.
In 1873 Pettigrew published Animal Locomotion: or Walking, Swimming and Flying, his most popular work. In 1875, he was appointed to the Chandos Chair of Medicine and Anatomy at St Andrews University. Over several subsequent years, Pettigrew assembled his magnum opus
Design in Nature, published in three volumes and lavishly illustrated with engravings and photographs. This was completely published in 1908. In this work, he showed himself to be rather hostile to Darwinism
and evolutionary biology and his reputation was subsequently overshadowed by that of his colleague D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
.
In 1889, Pettigrew was elected President of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh. He died at his home in St Andrews in 1908. Pettigrew is buried in the grounds of St Andrews Cathedral alongside his widow and the remains of her second husband, Professor James Musgrove, within a stone's throw of the tomb of Robert Chambers, author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
naturalist and museum curator. He was a distinguished naturalist in Edinburgh and London, and at St Andrews University from 1875 until his death. Pettigrew was an internationally acknowledged authority on animal locomotion
Animal locomotion
Animal locomotion, which is the act of self-propulsion by an animal, has many manifestations, including running, swimming, jumping and flying. Animals move for a variety of reasons, such as to find food, a mate, or a suitable microhabitat, and to escape predators...
.
Pettigrew was born at Roxhill, Calderbank
Calderbank
Calderbank is a village outside the town of Airdrie North Lanarkshire, Scotland, The village lies 13 miles east of Glasgow city centre and around 34 miles west of Edinburgh.Other major towns include Coatbridge 4 miles, Bellshill 4 miles and Motherwell 5 miles.-Etymology:The village's name is of a...
, Lanarkshire, the son of Robert Pettigrew. He was educated at the Free West Academy in Airdrie and at the Universities of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. After a late start in Medicine in Edinburgh, Pettigrew flourished under the tutelage of John Goodsir
John Goodsir
John Goodsir was a Scottish anatomist, born at Anstruther, Fife. He was a pioneer in the study of the cell.- Life :Goodsir was trained in St Andrews and Edinburgh...
with whom he developed a research programme in the anatomy of the human heart. Most unusually, as an undergraduate, he was invited to deliver the Croonian Lectures of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1860. In these lectures, Pettigrew advanced a remarkable discussion of the anatomical arrangement of the musculature of the heart. In 1861 he graduated in medicine from Edinburgh and became House Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. From an early age, Pettigrew demonstrated a remarkable flair for morphological analysis and an analytical grasp of natural history.
In 1862 Pettigrew accepted the post of Assistant Curator at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London which he held for five years. In 1867 he retired to Ireland (possibly suffering from a psychiatric disorder) to study the flight of birds and bats. He had a passionate interest in animal locomotion and, more particularly, in the theory of flight, and around the turn of the century made several prototypes of an ornithopter
Ornithopter
An ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some...
of his own design.
In 1868, at the age of 36, Pettigrew was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1869 he returned to Scotland to take up a position as Curator of the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
and as pathologist to the Royal Infirmary. In 1872 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
and in the following year a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
.
In 1873 Pettigrew published Animal Locomotion: or Walking, Swimming and Flying, his most popular work. In 1875, he was appointed to the Chandos Chair of Medicine and Anatomy at St Andrews University. Over several subsequent years, Pettigrew assembled his magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
Design in Nature, published in three volumes and lavishly illustrated with engravings and photographs. This was completely published in 1908. In this work, he showed himself to be rather hostile to Darwinism
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
and evolutionary biology and his reputation was subsequently overshadowed by that of his colleague D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson CB FRS FRSE was a Scottish biologist, mathematician, and classics scholar. A pioneering mathematical biologist, he is mainly remembered as the author of the 1917 book On Growth and Form, written largely in Dundee in 1915...
.
In 1889, Pettigrew was elected President of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh. He died at his home in St Andrews in 1908. Pettigrew is buried in the grounds of St Andrews Cathedral alongside his widow and the remains of her second husband, Professor James Musgrove, within a stone's throw of the tomb of Robert Chambers, author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation is a unique work of speculative natural history published anonymously in England in 1844. It brought together various ideas of stellar evolution with the progressive transmutation of species in an accessible narrative which tied together numerous...
.