Robert Thomson Leiper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Leiper
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Robert Thomson Leiper in 1960
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| Born |
Robert Thomson Leiper
17 April 1881 |
| Died | 21 May 1969 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Ceinwen Saron |
| Children | one son and two daughters |
| Awards | FRS CMG |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Helminthology |
Robert Thomson Leiper (born April 17, 1881 – died May 21, 1969) was a British scientist. He was a parasitologist, which means he studied parasites. He was especially interested in helminthology, the study of parasitic worms.
Early Life and Education
Robert Leiper was born on April 17, 1881, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. He was the oldest of three children. His father, John Leiper, was a tailor.
Soon after Robert was born, his family moved to England. He went to Warwick School and also studied science at Warwick Technical College. He spent a year at Mason Science College, which later became the University of Birmingham. There, he studied subjects like physics, math, English, and Latin.
After that, he went to the University of Glasgow to study medicine. He was a very good student and won several awards. He graduated in 1904.
Career and Discoveries
From a young age, Robert Leiper loved studying worms. Even before he finished college, when he was only 21, he found a new type of worm. This worm lived inside a sea urchin. He wrote about his discovery in Nature magazine, which is a very famous science publication.
In 1923, he started his own science magazine called the Journal of Helminthology. This magazine was all about the study of worms. In the same year, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
Later, in 1936, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 1941, he received the Order of St Michael and St George award. The University of Glasgow also gave him an honorary degree in 1955.
Robert Leiper was the first professor to teach about worms at the University of London. He also directed a course on worms at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He worked there from 1905 until he retired in 1947. During his time, he traveled to Egypt and Uganda to study worms.
Personal Life
In 1908, Robert Leiper married Ceinwen Saron. She was a dentist. They had one son and two daughters together. Ceinwen passed away in 1966. Robert Leiper died on May 21, 1969.
