MAliC,ff'2lj.-I'll 11936 JOHN SCOTT HALDANE, C.H., M.lT, F.R.S. I!KD1CAL JOIIRNAL 67- which inquired into these matters and into the ventilation Obituary of the Metropolitan Railway, factories, and workshops. Br Med J: first published as 10.1136/bmj.1.3924.617 on 21 March 1936. Downloaded from He served on the Royal Commissions of 1906 and 1911 on coal mines and metalliferous mines, and was made a J. S. HALDANE, C.H., M.D., F.R.S. member of the Safety in Mines Research Board. In 1921 Honorary Professor, University of Birmingham the Doncastar coal-owners' research laboratory was trans- By the death of Professor Haldane, which took place at his ferred to Birmingham University, and Haldane was soon home in Oxford at midnight, March 14th-15th, medicine, made an honorary professor in that university. There he no less than physiology, has lost a man of genius and directed a large number of researches into such problems as one of the most outstanding personalities of the time. the ventilation of mines, the causes of spontaneous heating John Scott Haldane, son of Robert Haldane of Cloan, of coal and underground fires, mine rescue apparatus, the Auchterarder, Perthshire, and Mary, daughter of Richard effects of high temperatures on miners and the physiology Burdon Sanderson, was born in Edinburgh on May 2nd, of sweat production, the effects of stone dust and silicosis, 1860. He was brother to the late Lord Haldane, Sir and the causes of miners' nystagmus. He was indefatig- W. S. Haldane, W.S., and Miss Elizabeth Haldane, C.H. able in his efforts to reduce the risks to health to which He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Edinburgh miners are exposed, and he spared neither time nor University, and the Univer- trouble where the miner's sity of Jena. From the bcgin- welfare was concerned. ning of his scientific work In 1905 he began for the he was specially interested in Admiralty an investigation of the physiology of respiration, the causes of the difficulties and having graduated in medV- and dangers encountered by cine at Edinburgh in 1884 :7:--- 1 l _l divers. He first showed that he became demonstrator at the limitation of the diver's University College, Dundee, capacity to do muscular work under Professor Carnelley, under water was due to the with whom he carried out high pressure of CO, present a thorough investigation of in the helmet, owing to the impurities of the air. Shortly inadequacy of the air pumps after the publication of this then in use. He then turned work in 1887 he became ..... to the more serious problem demonstrator in physiological of caisson disease, or divers' chemistry at Oxford under his paralysis. He noticed that uncle, Sir John Burdon Sander- symptoms never occurred un- son, and remained at Oxford less the man who had been for the rest of his life. The subjected to compressed air very important scientific work was decompressed rapidly to he did at Oxford was concerned normal atmospheric pressure with problems of two different, from a pressure which was at http://www.bmj.com/ but closely related, types- least one atmosphere in excess industrial hygiene and pure of the normal. It had been physiology. He soon took up recognized by Paul Bert that the study of impurities in the the cause of caisson disease air of mines and their effects was simple-namely, liberation on men. .In this he made of bubbles of nitrogen in the clear for the first time- the - body during decompression. true physiological action- of Haldane set to work to devise on 29 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. carbon monoxide, devised 'aa a method of decompression most valuable test for small H which should be safe and also but dangerous amounts of it, economical of time. In an and laid the foundation of an / extensive experimental investi- association with the mining gation, which he carried out industry which lasted throughout his life. The importance with Dr. Boycott and Lieutenant Damant, R.N., he proved of this work received recognition when he was made that the method of very slow decompression previously director of the Doncaster coal-owners' research labora- enjoined was in some respects actually harmful, and that it tory in 1912 and was elected president of the Institute was far safer, as well as quicker, to start decompression of Mining Engineers in 1924. He was called upon by the by halving the absolute pressure. On this basis he worked Home Office in 1896 to investigate the cause of death out the system of " stage decompression " which is now in three colliery explosions. His report was translated universally used and which has made it possible to carry into several languages, and was the foundation of the out successfully salvage operations at great depths. He measures which are now generally adopted in dealing with worked out tables giving the times during which a diver the dangers consequent on explosions and fires in mines. might stay at different depths and the times for each stage From that time on Haldane continued to do most of the ascent. Returning to this problem in 1935 he valuable work in connexion with the hygiene of mining| extended the decompression tables for still greater depths. and industry in general. He investigated the anaemia of Hc also gave the Admiralty valuable help with regard to Cornish miners and the incidence of ankylostomiasis, and the ventilation of battleships and the purification of the also became keenly interested in miners' phthisis. In 1905 air in submarines. he carried out an important investigation on regulation of Haldane did important work for the Army, and served body temperature in hot surroundings, and demonstratedl as a member of a committee appointed to inquire into the importance of the wet-bulb temperature as a limiting the physiological needs of the soldier as regards food, factor to man's power of adjustment to such conditions. clothing, and training. The upshot was a radical change He served on a number of Departmental Committees- in the scale of rations for active service, which un- - , .,.Miita 2s,toss yokx HALDANF,,'C.HMI.D, P-- 618 Mac 2 '3O{ CT ADN- J. .. -j,F.RA-. 618~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ doubtedly had an important effect in reducing sickness kidneys and the regulation of the water content of the a on colour and contrast. among the troops during the war. When the Germans body, and published paper visicn Br Med J: first published as 10.1136/bmj.1.3924.617 on 21 March 1936. Downloaded from began to use chlorine as a poison gas Haldane was called In 1912 he published Methods of Air Analysis, in which upon to advise, and at once went out to the front. There he described fully the apparatus which he designed and he quickly verified the gas used and the nature of its which has greatly simplified the accurate analysis of gases. effects. He returned to England and, recognizing the In conjunction with Dr. Ivon Graham, deputy director need for the immediate provision of protection for the of the Coal Owners' Research Laboratory, he published troops, did all he could to speed up the production of an the fourth edition in 1935. The Silliman Lectures, which effective emergency respirator. He realized clearly that Haldane had been invited to deliver at Yale University only respirators of the box type could afford satisfactory in 1915, had to be postponed till 1916, owing to the war. protection, and that it must necessarily take some time He published a short summary in 1917 under the title of to design and supply them. Such respirators were, of Organism and Environment as Illustrated by the Physio- course, adopted later; but Haldane, though his wide logy of the Breathing," but the lectures could not be knowledge of respiration and of the effects of toxic gases published in full till 1922. They then appeared in a would have been invaluable, was not invited to join the volume entitled Respiration. In this Haldane gave a full committee which was appointed to deal with the whole account of his work on the pure physiology of respiration, question of poison gas warfare. Nevertheless he did and discussed many of his investigations in appli2d valuable work on the pathology and treatment of gas physiology. A new edition of this book, in rewriting poisoning, and drew attention to the importance in many which one of his old pupils (Dr. J. G. Priestley) had cases of oxygen administration, for which he designed an the privilege of helping him, was published in 1935. efficient and portable apparatus which has also proved From his earliest days Haldane was deeply interested its worth in civil medical practice. He was one of the in philosophy, and many of his writings were devoted to gas referees under the Board of Trade for many years, and the enunciation of philosophical arguments, on which he took a keen interest in their work. based the whole of his scientific work. Even as a medical Haldane did not, however, confine himself to problems student he found that the teaching of physiology was in applied physiology, but did an immense amount of work unsatisfactory, in that it was not founded on wide philo- on general problems of phvsiology, especially respiration. sophical conceptions, and his dissatisfaction caused him In his earlier work in this field he devised and introduced to think deeply about the fundamental principles under- many new methods for investigating the respiratory func- lying physiological phenomena, only insight into which, tions, including respiratory exchange, the determination he believed, would make these phenomena intelligible. of the amount of haemoglobin in the blood, the volume His views on the philosophical basis of physiology were of blood in the body, and the quantity and tension of gradually developed in a series of addresses and books, the blood gases. He also devised an apparatus for the the earliest of which was a paper contributed by himself analysis of the gases, normal and abnormal, present in and his brother (Lord Haldane) in 1883 to " Essays in the air, which revolutionized the technique of air analysis. Philosophical Criticism." This essay was followed by His most fundamental work on respiration was published " Mechanism, Life, and Personality," 1913; " The New " in 1905 in a paper in the Journal of Physiology, in which Physiology," 1919 ; The Sciences and Philosophy," he showed that the regulation of the breathing is normally 1928 (Gifford Lectures) "The Philosophical Basis of determined, not by variations in oxygen pressure, but by Biology," 1931 (Donellan Lectures); "Materialism," http://www.bmj.com/ " The the pressure of CO, in the arterial blood reaching the 1932; and The Philosophy of a Biologist," 1935. respiratory cent-e, and that this centre is responsive to last of many communications to the British Medical exquisitely small variations in CO2 pressure, which there- Journal was an address on " Vision of Brightness and fore, by their effect on the ventilation of the lungs, Colour," published on December 23rd, 193,3. to Haldane's views ultimately determine the 02 supply to the tissues. Some have found it difficult follow Haldane thus for the first time showed the rational as to the meaning of life and the true significance of explanation of the automatic changes in respiration which biology, but his point of view was not really obscure. are with in muscular and He saw clearly that physiological phenomena were associated changes activity, on 29 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. further laid the foundation for methods of resuscitation meaningless when investigated in isolation, and that they from failure of the respiration which are of the utmost are so interrelated that they can only be understood when clinical importance. This paper, too, stands as a landmark the organism is studied as a whole. Hence it followed in the development of Haldane's demonstration of the that most of his work was done on man, and that he fact that the body is a physiological whole and of the was the most brilliant investigator of human physiology. astounding delicacy of the chemical co-ordination of the Haldane's discovery of the amazing delicacy with which functional activities of the various organs and tissues the various functions of the body are controlled and corre- which together form the living individual. He soon pub- lated, which has been mentioned above, led him to the " lished further papers on the regulation of the respiration conclusion that the phenomena of life express the main- under varying conditions such as, in particular, oxygen tenance of a co-ordinated whole, which includes within deficiency. In 1911 he led the well-known expedition to itself relations to environment as well as the mutual Pike's Peak, Colorado, to study the effects of low relationships of details of internal structure and activity." barometric pressure and the, process of acclimatization To quote his own words agai-n: to high altitudes. Later he worked on the conditions " Organism and environment cannot be separated in con- governing the absorption of carbon monoxide by the sidering life. But we seem to be able to reach a satisfactory of the blood. He also studied the regulation of the content interpretation of the physics and chemisfry external, CO, and even of the internal environment, when these states are and pressure of the blood, and devised a method for looked at apart from their relations to organic activity.... determining the venous Co2, with the help of which he But when we reach the living fissues we can ignore the organic determined the output of blood by the heart. He also regulation no longer: for we can see nothing clearly except studied the nervous control of the breathing and the an evident manifestation of the most intimate organic regula- part played by the vagus nerves in its regulation. In tion. The physical and chemical picture is entirely obliterated the last few years of his life he devoted considerable time by the picture of the organism." to investigation of means by which aviators and balloonists Haldane found the idea of " vital force " as unsatis- might safely and conveniently reach very high altitudes. factory as the mechanistic theory of life which succeeded Ile also did important work on the physiology of the it. He thought that no applications of physics and MARCH 21, 1936 OBITUARY MRIMcE&CAL TnuRNAL 619 chemistry could ever fully explain the phenomena of examination for the Fellowship of the Royal College of biology. He regarded biology as a more comprehensive Surgeons of Edinburgh, he decided to specialize in surgery, Br Med J: first published as 10.1136/bmj.1.3924.617 on 21 March 1936. Downloaded from science than physics and chemistry, though including and from 1895 to 1900 he acted as surgical tutor and them, and having different axioms and interpretations, private assistant to Professor Annandale. In 1901 he just as he regarded psychology as a science which cannot became assistant surgeon to the Royal Infirmary, and in be fully interpreted in terms of biology. 1912 was promoted surgeon in charge of wards. In 1924 Haldane was generally a clear and concise writer, but as he resigned the appointment at the Royal Infirmary on a speaker he had a somewhat awkward delivery. Despite being elected surgeon to Chalmers' Hospital, Edinburgh, this his deep knowledge of his subjects and his remarkable a post which he held for five years. faculty of separating the essential from the irrelevant During the war Mr. Dowden acted as a captain in the made it surprisingly easy for his listeners to benefit from R.A.M.C. on the staff of the Second Scottish General his lectures and obtain a real grasp of the subject under Hospital at Craigleith, and later on that of the Edinburgh discussion. As a research worker he had a really remark- War Hospital at Bangour, where his work consisted able capacity for concentrating on essentials and obtaining chiefly of orthopaedic surgery. He was elected President accurate results by simple means. Those who had the of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1931, inestimable privilege of working with him acquired an and represented that College for five years on the Board admiration for his skill and clear reasoning which was of Management of the Royal Infirmary. In 1931, on the only equalled by the affection inspired by his extraordinary occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Royal College of kindness. As a scientific man and as a friend he has Physicians of Edinburgh, he was made an honorary had few equals. Fellow of the latter body, and in 1933, when the Univer- Haldane was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in sity of Edinburgh celebrated its 350th anniversary, he 1897, a Fellow of New College in 1901, and a Reader in received the honorary degree of LL.D. When the British Physiology at Oxford in 1907. In 1916 he was awarded Medical Association held its Annual Meeting in Edinburgh a Royal Medal for his researches in respiration, and in in 1927 he was vice-president of the Section of Surgery. 1934 the Copley Medal of the Royal Society in recognition Mr. Dowden was a surgeon of great skill and wide of his discoveries in human physiology and of their appli- reputation. He was an early and enthusiastic exponent cation to medicine, diving, mining, and engineering. He of the value of early active movement in treating was also awarded gold medals by the Institution of Mining fractures, and he made several contributions to current Engineers, the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal surgical literature, such as " Treatment of Perforating College of Physicians of London (Baly Medal), and the Ulcer at the Pylorus by Excision," in the Edinburgh North of England Institute of Mining Engineers. He Medical Journal (1909), and " The Principle of Active received many honorary degrees, including LL.D. of Movement in Treatment of Injury and Disease," in the Edinburgh and Birmingham Universities, D.Sc. of Oxford International Journal of Medicine and Surgery (1928). and Leeds, Sc.D. of Cambridge and Dublin, and D.Sc. As a teacher and lecturer on clinical surgery he was (Engineering) of Witwatersrand. In 1928 he was created highly popular with students, having a great belief in the a Companion of Honour, a distinction which he valued value of giving instruction on the commoner surgical very greatly, in recognition of his outstanding contribu- ailments met in general practice. He was fond of tions to the fight against industrial disease. inculcating into his hearers the importance of cultivating In 1891 Haldane married Louisa Kathleen, daughter their powers of observation and devoting themselves to http://www.bmj.com/ of Mr. Coutts Trotter, who survives him, and he leaves facts to the exclusion of theories, while his clear powers one son, J. B. S. of exposition and a certain native Irish humour made his Haldane, F.R.S., professor of genetics demonstrations highly acceptable. in the University of London, and one daughter, Mrs. affection for his old Naomi who is well known as a novelist. Mr. Dowden had a very special Mitchison, school, of which he was for many years a governor, and At the Oxford meeting of the British Medical Associa- the time of his chairman of tion in 1904 he was president of the Section of State subsequently, up to death, and he the Governing Board. In this capacity he took an active Medicine, was vice-president of the Section of part in the scheme which transferred the school from at the in on 29 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. Physiology London meeting 1910. For two years Merchiston Castle to its present site at Colinton, and after the war he served on the Science Committee and he was most active in appealing to old Merchistonians on the Medical Research and Laboratory Workers' Sub- all over the world for subscriptions to effect this object. committee. In his earlier years he took a prominent part in [The photograph reproduced is by Russell, London.] athletics. He had been a member of both the cricket and the football teams of his school, and for many years for and JOHN W. DOWDEN, LL.D., M.B., F.R.C.S.ED. played quarter-back the Merchistonian Edinburgh Wanderers Clubs. He was also an enthusiastic tennis Consulting Surgeon, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh player, in later life took up curling, and was a keen The death took place, on March 8th, in Edinburgh, after fisherman during his holidays. As a speaker at medical a short illness, of Mr. John W. Dowden, who for many gatherings his power of racy and humorous anecdote was years had been well known as one of the leading surgeons greatly valued by his colleagues, and his facility as a in the Edinburgh medical school. teller of stories caused him to be in great demand at such John Wheeler Dowden was born in Sligo in 1866. He meetings. Mr. Dowden's artistic tastes were also of a received his early education at Merchiston Castle School high order, and his discrimination in regard to old prints in Edinburgh, where his father was a cleric in the and old furniture was much valued by collectors of such Scottish Episcopal Church and later Bishop of Edinburgh. objects of art. He is survived by his widow. Commencing the study of medicine at the University of The funeral took place at the Edinburgh Crematorium Edinburgh in 1886, Mr. Dowden graduated M.B., C.M. on March 11th, and was attended by a large gathering of there in 1890. For some three years thereafter he held friends and of representatives from the Royal College of resident appointments in the Royal Infirmary as house- Surgeons of Edinburgh and from the governors of physician with Dr. David Brackenridge, house-surgeon Merchiston Castle School. with Professor Annandale, and house-surgeon with Mr. Joseph Bell in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick A CORRESPONDENT writes: Children. For a year he acted as an assistant in general Dowden's choice of a career was completely justified practice in Edinburgh, but in 1894, after passing the by the high position he~attained as a surgeon and teacher,