Bryan Matthews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bryan Harold Cabot Matthews
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| Born | 14 June 1906 |
| Died | 23 July 1986 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | high altitude physiology and aviation medicine |
Sir Bryan Harold Cabot Matthews (born June 14, 1906 – died July 23, 1986) was a very important scientist. He was a professor at Cambridge University from 1952 to 1973. A professor is a high-level teacher and researcher at a university. He studied how the human body works, especially in extreme conditions.
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Early Life and Studies
Bryan Matthews went to school at Clifton College. Later, he studied at King's College, Cambridge. There, he earned a degree in physiology. Physiology is the study of how living things, like humans, work.
Research on Nerves
Matthews became a research student for Edgar Adrian. He worked with Adrian and Donald Henry Barron. They studied how nerves send messages in the body. This early work was very important.
Becoming a Royal Society Fellow
In 1940, Bryan Matthews became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a big honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. He earned it for his work on electro-encephalography. This is a way to record the electrical activity of the brain.
Helping During World War II
During the Second World War, Matthews used his science skills to help. He became the head of a special unit for the Royal Air Force (RAF). This unit studied how pilots' bodies reacted to flying.
Aviation Medicine Expert
He led the RAF's Physiological Research Unit. This group looked into how pilots could stay healthy and safe. They studied things like flying at high altitudes. This field is called aviation medicine. It focuses on the health of people who fly.
Return to Cambridge
After the war, Matthews went back to Cambridge University. In 1952, he took over from Edgar Adrian. He became the Professor of Physiology. He held this important position until he retired in 1973.
His Family's Scientific Connections
Bryan Matthews came from a family of scientists. His elder brother, L. Harrison Matthews, was a zoologist. A zoologist studies animals. His uncle, Edward Frank Harrison, was a chemist. He even invented the first useful gas mask. Bryan Matthews also had a son, Peter Matthews, who became a physiology professor at Oxford University.
