Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1922-1965 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
17 notebooks and 64 files
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Henry Gaddum was born on 31 March 1900 in Hale, Cheshire, the eldest of 6 children. His father was a silk importer who did much charitable work and who had a great influence on his son. He was educated at Miss Wallace's day school in Bowdon, Cheshire, then Moorland House School, Heswall, Cheshire, and from 1913 at Rugby School. He was encouraged to take up science by F A Meyer who later became headmaster of Bedales. He won two leaving exhibitions - one general, one for mathematics. In 1919 he went to Trinity College Cambridge on an entrance scholarship for mathematics, and read medicine. He won a senior scholarship at Trinity in 1922 and obtained second class honours in the Science Tripos (Part II) in Physiology. In 1922 he became a medical student at University College Hospital, London. In 1925 he applied for and won a post at the Wellcome Research Laboratories under J W Trevan, writing his first paper on the quantitative aspects of drug antagonism. In 1927 he went to work for Sir Henry Dale at the National Institute for Medical Research in Hampstead, where he stayed for six years, then accepted the Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Cairo in 1934. In 1935 he was appointed Professor of Pharmacology at University College London, and in 1938 he took the Chair of Pharmacology at the College of the Pharmaceutical Society, London. After the war broke out, he worked at the Chemical Defence Research Station, Porton Down, then later was for a short time in the Army as Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1942 he accepted the Chair of Materia Medica in the University of Edinburgh, where he was happy and built up an outstanding research department which attracted many scientists from abroad. Extra-mural activities became more time-consuming and in 1958 he was invited to become the Director of the Institute of Animal Physiology in Babraham, Cambridge, by the Agricultural Research Council. He enjoyed learning new things, so accepted the post and staffed the Institute with the finest physiologists, with the result it became one of the great international centres for research in physiology and pharmacology. A year before his death he was knighted and awarded an honorary LL.D, Edinburgh. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1929 he married Iris Mary Harmer, M.B., B.Chir., M.R.C.P., daughter of Sir Sidney Harmer, FRS, a zoologist, and Laura Russell.
Repository
Archival history
Listed by the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre.
GB 0117 JHG 1922-1965 Collection (fonds) 17 notebooks and 64 files Gaddum , Sir , John Henry , 1900-1965 , Knight , pharmacologist
John Henry Gaddum was born on 31 March 1900 in Hale, Cheshire, the eldest of 6 children. His father was a silk importer who did much charitable work and who had a great influence on his son. He was educated at Miss Wallace's day school in Bowdon, Cheshire, then Moorland House School, Heswall, Cheshire, and from 1913 at Rugby School. He was encouraged to take up science by F A Meyer who later became headmaster of Bedales. He won two leaving exhibitions - one general, one for mathematics. In 1919 he went to Trinity College Cambridge on an entrance scholarship for mathematics, and read medicine. He won a senior scholarship at Trinity in 1922 and obtained second class honours in the Science Tripos (Part II) in Physiology. In 1922 he became a medical student at University College Hospital, London. In 1925 he applied for and won a post at the Wellcome Research Laboratories under J W Trevan, writing his first paper on the quantitative aspects of drug antagonism. In 1927 he went to work for Sir Henry Dale at the National Institute for Medical Research in Hampstead, where he stayed for six years, then accepted the Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Cairo in 1934. In 1935 he was appointed Professor of Pharmacology at University College London, and in 1938 he took the Chair of Pharmacology at the College of the Pharmaceutical Society, London. After the war broke out, he worked at the Chemical Defence Research Station, Porton Down, then later was for a short time in the Army as Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1942 he accepted the Chair of Materia Medica in the University of Edinburgh, where he was happy and built up an outstanding research department which attracted many scientists from abroad. Extra-mural activities became more time-consuming and in 1958 he was invited to become the Director of the Institute of Animal Physiology in Babraham, Cambridge, by the Agricultural Research Council. He enjoyed learning new things, so accepted the post and staffed the Institute with the finest physiologists, with the result it became one of the great international centres for research in physiology and pharmacology. A year before his death he was knighted and awarded an honorary LL.D, Edinburgh. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1929 he married Iris Mary Harmer, M.B., B.Chir., M.R.C.P., daughter of Sir Sidney Harmer, FRS, a zoologist, and Laura Russell.
Listed by the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre.
Presented to the Royal Society by Lady Gaddum in 1969.
Working papers and correspondence of Sir John Henry Gaddum. The scientific material in the collection centres on a run of student and laboratory notebooks for 1922-1965, together with files of notes and calculations on biological assay and other topics. Further papers concentrate on Gaddum's teaching and publications in the form of lecture scripts, typescripts of articles and related correspondence. Material on his administrative work includes correspondence on conferences and organizations, with some Royal Society papers, but also Physiological Society letters, 1936-1941. Non-paper records such as slides and personal souvenirs are also preserved.
Files in main subject divisions.
Open.
No publication without written permission. Apply to Archivist in the first instance.
English
A short handlist lists files under main subject divisions, giving reference numbers, file/title subjects and chronological extent. Also 2 sheaf catalogues.
Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine holds notes (Ref: GC/110), correspondence and papers, 1957-1964 (Ref: GC/213), and correspondence with Henry McIlwain, 1943-1962 (Ref: PP/MCI). The Medical Research Council holds correspondence and papers. His diaries, 1922-1923, are privately held.
Description produced by the Royal Society and revised by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Source: National Register of Archives. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Created 15/03/2002, modified 25/03/2002, revised Sep 2002. Academic teaching personnel Associations Communication process Conferences Educational personnel Experiments Gaddum , Sir , John Henry , 1900-1965 , Knight , pharmacologist Group communication Higher science education Learned societies Lectures (teaching method) Medical education Medical research Organizations Pharmacology Photographic slides Photographs Physiological Society Physiology Research work Royal Society Scientific personnel Scientists Teachers Teaching methods Visual materials Personnel People by occupation People
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Presented to the Royal Society by Lady Gaddum in 1969.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Working papers and correspondence of Sir John Henry Gaddum. The scientific material in the collection centres on a run of student and laboratory notebooks for 1922-1965, together with files of notes and calculations on biological assay and other topics. Further papers concentrate on Gaddum's teaching and publications in the form of lecture scripts, typescripts of articles and related correspondence. Material on his administrative work includes correspondence on conferences and organizations, with some Royal Society papers, but also Physiological Society letters, 1936-1941. Non-paper records such as slides and personal souvenirs are also preserved.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Files in main subject divisions.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open.
Conditions governing reproduction
No publication without written permission. Apply to Archivist in the first instance.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
A short handlist lists files under main subject divisions, giving reference numbers, file/title subjects and chronological extent. Also 2 sheaf catalogues.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine holds notes (Ref: GC/110), correspondence and papers, 1957-1964 (Ref: GC/213), and correspondence with Henry McIlwain, 1943-1962 (Ref: PP/MCI). The Medical Research Council holds correspondence and papers. His diaries, 1922-1923, are privately held.
Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
- Educational personnel » Teachers » Academic teaching personnel
- Organizations » Associations
- Communication process
- Communication process » Group communication » Conferences
- Educational personnel
- Research work » Experiments
- Communication process » Group communication
- Higher science education
- Organizations » Associations » Learned societies
- Teaching methods » Lectures (teaching method)
- Higher science education » Medical education
- Medical research
- Organizations
- Pharmacology
- Visual materials » Photographs » Photographic slides
- Visual materials » Photographs
- Physiology
- Research work
- Scientific personnel
- Scientific personnel » Scientists
- Educational personnel » Teachers
- Teaching methods
- Visual materials
- Personnel
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English