Michael Foster (physiologist)

Sir Michael Foster ( born March 8, 1836 in Huntingdon, † January 28, 1907 in London ) was an English physiologist and botanist. His botanical author abbreviation is " Foster".

Foster studied at University College London Medicine and graduated in 1859 with a degree in MD from. 1861 to 1866 he worked in his father's practice in Huntingdon. In 1869, he was the successor of Thomas Henry Huxley at the Royal Institution, a year later he was appointed to the newly created Department of Physiology at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

Foster was co-founder in 1876 of the British Physiological Society. In 1878 he founded the Journal of Physiology, whose editor, he was until 1894. 1903/1904 he was vice- president of the Royal Society.

Foster was best known as the iris growers. He crossed the diploid species Iris pallida and Iris variegata and their hybrids with tetraploid species from the Middle East and so created the modern varieties of bearded iris. From Foster farmed species such as MRS. HORACE DARWIN, CATERINA CRUSADER and are still marketed today.

Writings

• Textbook of Physiology. In 1876.
• Lectures on the History of Physiology in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. In 1901.