Person Wilkie; Douglas Robert (1922 - 1998); physiologist Wilkie Douglas Robert physiologist 1922 - 1998 British Male London, England, United Kingdom 02 October 1922 19221002 London, England, United Kingdom 21 May 1998 19980521 Burial: Highgate Cemetery, London

Physiologist Muscle mechanics Physiology Education: Bec School and Brighton Technical College; MD Yale (1943) MB BS Lond (1944) Career: House physician, University College Hospital, London (1944); assistant lecturer at the Physiology Department, University College London (1945); military service at the Institute of Aviation Medicine in Farnborough (1948-1950); Locke Research Fellow, University College London (1951-54); Reader in Experimental Physiology (1954-65); Professor of Experimental Physiology (1965-69); Jodrell Professor and Head of Physiology Department; (1969-79) (Emeritus); Jodrell Research Professor of Physiology, London University 1979-88 (Emeritus); retired (1988). Memberships: MRCP 1945 FRCP 1972 Spouse: (m. 1949) June Hill (d. 1997), medical scientist, (divorced 1982). Children: Andrew Wilkie, medical scientist. Has made numerous experimental and theoretical contributions to the study of muscle, and his profound and critical understanding of the field has been an important factor in recent progress. His early work provided the best data available even now on the force-velocity, active-state and series-elastic characteristics of muscle. His simultaneous measurements of thermal, mechanical and chemical changes in a wide variety of types of contraction have shown that the total energy liberated as work and heat is accounted for by the amount of phosphocreatine hydrolysed. He is the only person able to make all these different types of technically difficult measurements himself and so provide the essential condition for reliable correlations to be made between them. He has greatly clarified the application of thermodynamics to muscle. His new methods for suddenly freezing a muscle is providing data of a quality previously unattainable concerning the chemical changes during contraction itself. Fellow 18/03/1971 48 Archibald Vivian Hill Alan Lloyd Hodgkin Andrew Fielding Huxley Hugh Esmor Huxley John Carew Eccles Obituaries: Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 2001 vol 47 pp 481-495, plate, by Roger C Woledge International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.2001.0029 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Wilkie%2C+Douglas+Robert RCN 21080 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH9131 2 Oct 1922 - 21 May 1998 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 09/04/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA4874 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/277488148 403142c6-0297-4a14-a1f2-32e39fa1cfdc