The disgruntlements of old age… TAGS: CRC | D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson | differential birth rate | Edinburgh University Special Collections | Eugenics | Intelligence | natural history | Professor Sir Godfrey Thomson | University of Edinburgh | University of St Andrews Disgruntlement.  The archives are full of it – though I should stress I am referring to the contents of our records rather than our lovely readers (or indeed my lovely  …Continue reading →

A letter from Pip TAGS: 20th century history | Birth control | Carlos Paton Blacker | CRC | Edinburgh University Library | Eugenics | Eugenics Society | Godfrey Thomson | Intelligence testing | Professor Sir Godfrey Thomson | Royal Commission on Population | University of Edinburgh | Wellcome Library | Wellcome Trust Some of the most interesting letters in Thomson’s collection were sent to his widow following his death in 1955.  The following, from psychiatrist and secretary of the Eugenics society Carlos …Continue reading →

A few of my favourite [festive!] things TAGS: Christmas | Cyprus | Hector and Andromache | mathematics | Newcastle | Professor Godfrey Thomson | Professor Sir Godfrey Thomson At the start of the festive period, I had the best of intentions to post a festive blog post for every day of advent.  Alas, there isn’t much mention of …Continue reading →

The Story of One TAGS: Ann Lingard | Cafe Scientifique | Cognitive ageing | Fionna Carmichael | Linda Kosciewicz-Fleming | Lothian Birth Cohorts | Michael Davenport | poetry | Professor Ian Deary | World War 2 | World War II In 1932 and 1947, every 11 year old child in Scotland was given an intelligence test*.  This fact is referred to throughout the blog. Its the reason Thomson was famous …Continue reading →

Calling all ECA alumni! TAGS: 1956 | alumni | Dog | ECA | ECA Theatre Group | James Bridie

‘Encounters of a mathematician’… TAGS: Berlin | Centre for Research Collections | Edinburgh University Library | Edinburgh University Library Special Collections | Holocaust | mathematics | music | Professor Sir Godfrey Thomson | University of Berlin | University of Edinburgh | University of Manchester | University of St Andrews | University of Sussex | Walter Ledermann For the last few weeks, I have been cataloguing the papers of mathematician, Walter Ledermann (1911-2009).  The collection largely composes of highly mathematical letters from Thomson to Ledermann.  Having the …Continue reading →

‘Who is that chap with the terrific head?!’ TAGS: CRC | Edinburgh University Special Collections | Hugh MacDiarmid | Professor Sir Godfrey Thomson | R H Westwater | Robert Heriot Westwater Robert Heriot Westwater’s most famous portrait is probably that of Christopher Murray Grieve (more widely known by his nom de plume,  Hugh McDiarmid!).  But Westwater also painted two very different …Continue reading →