Alexander Hill (academic)
Alexander Hill Frederick Howard Marsh | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 1856 Loughton, Essex, England |
Died | 28 February 1929 Southampton, England | (aged 72โ73)
Spouse |
Emma Woodward (m. 1878) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Medical doctor, professor |
Alexander Hill
A brain specialist, he was the first person to use the term 'neuron' in English to describe the nerve cell and its processes, in his 1891 translation of a German paper summarizing the lectures of Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz.[3]
Early life
Hill was born at Loughton, Essex, England, the son of John Hill, a trader on the London Stock Exchange.
He attended
Career
Elected a Fellow of Downing College in 1880, Hill lectured on the histology and anatomy of the brain.[1] He was Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons from 1884 to 1885. He was Master of Downing College from 1888 to 1907 and Vice-Chancellor of the university from 1897 to 1899. As Vice-Chancellor, he startled some critics by inviting the actor Sir Henry Irving to deliver the Rede Lecture in 1898.[4] Irving was awarded an honorary Litt.D., prompting one Cambridge graduate to request that the Vice-Chancellor erase his name from the university register.[5]
Elected a member of The Physiological Society in 1885, Hill was also a founding member of the Neurological Society of London in 1886, serving as the society's President in 1896. He was appointed FRCS in 1907.[6]
University College Southampton
Hill was appointed a commissioner for the Treasury in 1901 to report on universities and colleges. In 1902 he carried out an inspection of Southampton University College for the University Commission with a colleague, with a further inspection in 1907. This followed the Education Act 1902.[7] The commissioners found insufficient money for local student accommodation; poor entry criteria which were well below normal university entry standards; teaching not up to university standard; and poor buildings not up to university teaching standards. With the threat of failing to continue with university college status, the financial situation was improved with local money from Southampton Borough Council and Hampshire County Council. Although in retirement, and with some hesitation, Hill was persuaded to undertake the rallying of a badly shaken college and building it into a university. In 1912 Hill accepted the position of Principal and took office in January 1913.[8]
In a short period Hill changed the whole situation and won the confidence of staff, students and college council. New appointments and expansion into new fields, including Economics backed with an external
In spring 1914, plans were made for a larger Hall of Residence. In early summer an arts block with 28 large and many smaller lecture rooms and a connecting block for biology, chemistry, physics and engineering opened on 20 June. Then, eight days later, the
Personal life
In 1878 he married Emma Woodward and they had a son and daughter. He died at Southampton; his wife survived him.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Royal College of Surgeons, Biography of Fellows, 13 April 2012, accessed 24 August 2013
- ^ a b c The University of Southampton (1962) A. Temple Patterson, Southampton University Press, ASIN: B0000CLFGC
- PMID 31844876.
- ^ a b "Hill, Alexander (HL874A)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Irving, Henry (IRVN898H)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- .
- ^ The Education Act 1902, How to Make the Best of It The Fabian Society, accessed 24 August 2013
- ^ Patterson, Alfred Temple (1962). The University of Southampton: A Centenary History of the Evolution and Development of the University of Southampton, 1862-1962. University of Southampton. p. 132.