George Busk

George Busk ( born August 12, 1807 in St. Petersburg, † August 10 1886 in London) was a British naval surgeon, zoologist and palaeontologist.

Life and work

Busk was the son of merchant Robert Busk. He studied in London, both at St Thomas' Hospital and at St Bartholomew 's Hospital. In 1832 he was appointed assistant surgeon at Greenwich Hospital in London.

As a Navy doctor, he first served on the HMS Grampus, later for many years on the HMS Dreadnought, which had already taken part in the Battle of Trafalgar. At times Busk was the ship of the Seamen's Hospital Society as a hospital ship for former members of the Merchant Navy or the fishing fleet and their families. During this time, Busk made ​​important observations regarding cholera and scurvy.

1855 Busk moved from the service and settled down in London, where he primarily to the study of zoology and paleontology devoted himself. Already in 1842 he was involved in the publication of the Microscopical Journal; later, he was co-editor of scientific journals Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science (1853-1868) and the Natural History Review ( 1861-1865).

From 1856 to 1859 held the post of Busk Hunterian Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and in 1871 President of the College. He was elected in 1850 a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was an active member of the Linnean Society, the Geological Society and President of the Anthropological Institute ( 1873-1874 ). Busk was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society, in 1885 the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society, and in 1878 the Lyell Medal.

Busk was the leading authority in the field of Polyzoa; later he dealt with the remains of vertebrates from caves and river deposits. He was a patient and careful observer, knowledgeable and of simple mind. He died on 10 August 1886 in London and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London.