| Authorised form of name | Huxley; Hugh Esmor (1924 - 2013); physiologist |
| Dates | 1924 - 2013 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | 37 Grange Mount, Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 25 February 1924 |
| Place of death | Woods Hole on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States of America |
| Date of death | 25 July 2013 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Place of marraige: Wayland, Massachusetts, United States of America
Memorial meeting: Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America (25 August 2013) |
| Occupation | Physiologist |
| Research field | Biology |
| Physiology |
| Activity | Education:
Park High School, Birkenhead; Christ's College, Cambridge 1948 (his studies were interrupted beween 1943 and 1947 by service as radar officerin RAF Bomber Command); PhD 1952; Cambridge ScD 1964
Career:
Research student at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit for Molecular Biology; Commonwealth Fund fellow, biology department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1952-1954); research associate, biophysics department, University College, London (1956); scientific staff of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambrdige (1962-1987); later joint head (with Aaron Klug) of the structural studies division (1975); then director (1977); fellow of King's College (1962-1967); fellow of Churchill College (1967-1987); retired (1997); died of a heart attack.
Honours:
MBE 1948
Memberships: |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 24/03/1960 |
| Age at election | 36 |
| Proposer | John Carew Eccles |
| John William Sutton Pringle |
| Archibald Vivian Hill |
| John Zachary Young |
| Dorothy Mary Moyle Needham |
| Max Ferdinand Perutz |
| Rothschild |
| William Albert Hugh Rushton |
| Alan Lloyd Hodgkin |
| Howard Katz |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1973-1975, 1984-1985
Medals and prizes:
Royal Medal 1977; Copley Medal 1997
Lectures:
Croonian 1970 |
| Relationships | Parents: Thomas Hugh Huxley (1887–1968), sorting clerk and telegraphist, and Olwen, née Roberts (1890–1963)
Spouse: (m.1966) Frances Fripp
Children: Olwen (b. 1970).
Stepchildren: One daughter and two sons. |
| PublishedWorks | RCN R79312 |
| OtherInfo | Distinguished for his work on the fine structure of muscle and the mechanism of contraction.
By combining X-ray diffraction, electron-microscopic and optical studies he obtained very important information on the ultra-structure of muscle fibrils and the localization of their chemical constituents.
Produced convincing evidence for a new theory of contraction, of which he is one of the originators, according to which muscular shortening is brought about by a sliding motion of two discrete arrays of protein filaments.
Prominent supporter of the British Humanist Association and outspoken against creationism, concerned to ensure it was was not taught in state-supported schools following the decentralizing education reforms of the Labour government after 1997. |
| Source | DNB
References:
R A Crowther, 'Viruses and the development of quantitative biological electron microscopy' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 65-81 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/3878895 |
| Code | NA4244 |