William Henry Lang
Encyclopedia
William Henry Lang FRS (12 May 1874–29 August 1960) was a British botanist. The son of Thomas Lang, a medical practitioner, Lang was educated at Dennistoun public school in Glasgow before being accepted into the University of Glasgow
, where he graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in botany and zoology in 1894. He qualified for medicine in 1895 but never became a practicing doctor; thanks to his own enthusiasm and the encouragement of his teacher Frederick Orpen Bower
he instead became a professional botanist. His first research was on the structure of ferns, something Bower was apparently an authority on, and Lang soon followed him in that regard. He moved to study at the Jodrell Laboratory on a Robert Donaldson scholarship in 1895, where he focused on the apomixis
of ferns, and discovered a sporangium
on the prothallus of a fern at a time when biologists were exploring alternate means of reproduction in plants.
In 1899 he travelled to Sri Lanka
and Malaya
to study tropical cryptogams and collect samples, returning to Britain in 1902, when became a lecturer at the University of Glasgow
; while there he worked closely with D. T. Gwynne-Vaughan] and Bower, with the three of them being known as the "triumvirate". After Gwynne-Vaughan's death in 1915 he studied preserved plant remnants in Aberdeen, making great insights into the nature of Psilophyton
, which until then had been neglected. In 1900 he was awarded a Doctor of Science degree by the University of Glasgow, and when the Barker chair of cryptogamic botany was created at the University of Manchester Lang was the first choice. He took up his duties in 1909 and married his cousin, Elsa Valentine, the following year.
In 1911 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded a Royal Medal
in 1931 for 'his work on the anatomy and morphology of the fern-like fossils of the Old Red Sandstone.' In 1932 he received an LLD from the University of Glasgow, followed by a similar award from Manchester in 1942. He was also a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
. After his retirement he moved to Westfield due to his wife's ill health' she died in 1959, and he followed barely a year later on 29 August 1960.
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...
, where he graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in botany and zoology in 1894. He qualified for medicine in 1895 but never became a practicing doctor; thanks to his own enthusiasm and the encouragement of his teacher Frederick Orpen Bower
Frederick Orpen Bower
Frederick Orpen Bower FRS was a British botanist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1891. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society in 1909 and the Darwin Medal of the Royal Society in 1938....
he instead became a professional botanist. His first research was on the structure of ferns, something Bower was apparently an authority on, and Lang soon followed him in that regard. He moved to study at the Jodrell Laboratory on a Robert Donaldson scholarship in 1895, where he focused on the apomixis
Apomixis
In botany, apomixis was defined by Winkler as replacement of the normal sexual reproduction by asexual reproduction, without fertilization. This definition notably does not mention meiosis...
of ferns, and discovered a sporangium
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
on the prothallus of a fern at a time when biologists were exploring alternate means of reproduction in plants.
In 1899 he travelled to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
to study tropical cryptogams and collect samples, returning to Britain in 1902, when became a lecturer at the University 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...
; while there he worked closely with D. T. Gwynne-Vaughan] and Bower, with the three of them being known as the "triumvirate". After Gwynne-Vaughan's death in 1915 he studied preserved plant remnants in Aberdeen, making great insights into the nature of Psilophyton
Psilophyton
Psilophyton is a genus of extinct vascular plants. Described in 1859, it was one of the first fossil plants to be found which was of Devonian age . Specimens have been found in northern Maine, USA; Gaspé Bay, Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada; the Czech Republic; and Yunnan, China...
, which until then had been neglected. In 1900 he was awarded a Doctor of Science degree by the University of Glasgow, and when the Barker chair of cryptogamic botany was created at the University of Manchester Lang was the first choice. He took up his duties in 1909 and married his cousin, Elsa Valentine, the following year.
In 1911 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded a Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
in 1931 for 'his work on the anatomy and morphology of the fern-like fossils of the Old Red Sandstone.' In 1932 he received an LLD from the University of Glasgow, followed by a similar award from Manchester in 1942. He was also a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
. After his retirement he moved to Westfield due to his wife's ill health' she died in 1959, and he followed barely a year later on 29 August 1960.