Vincent Wigglesworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Vincent Wigglesworth
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Vincent Wigglesworth
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| Born | 17 April 1899 Wesham, Lancashire
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| Died | 11 February 1994 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Metamorphosis hormones |
| Awards | Royal Medal (1955) Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entomologist |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge |
| Doctoral students | Peter Lawrence |
Sir Vincent Brian Wigglesworth (born April 17, 1899 – died February 11, 1994) was a famous British scientist. He was an entomologist, which means he studied insects. He made very important discoveries about how insects grow and change. His work helped create the whole field of insect physiology, which is the study of how insect bodies work.
Insect Life Cycles and Hormones
Sir Vincent Wigglesworth's most famous work was on metamorphosis. This is the amazing process where an insect changes completely. Think of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly! He wanted to understand how this big change happens inside an insect's body.
He studied a South American insect called the Rhodnius prolixus, also known as the kissing bug. He found that special cells in the insect's brain, called neurosecretory cells, release a very important chemical. This chemical is a hormone. This hormone tells another part of the insect's body, called the prothoracic gland, to release a different hormone. This second hormone is called prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH). PTTH is what actually starts the process of metamorphosis. This was the first time anyone had proven how these brain cells work.
Wigglesworth also discovered another key hormone. He named it the juvenile hormone. This hormone stops the insect from growing into an adult too soon. It makes sure the insect stays in its young, or "larval," stage until it's the right time to change. By controlling the amount of this hormone, Wigglesworth could make the insect's development speed up or slow down.
From these discoveries, Sir Vincent Wigglesworth figured out how an insect's genome (its genetic code) uses hormones to control its growth and shape. His work showed how tiny chemical signals can lead to huge changes in an animal's life.
About His Life
Vincent Wigglesworth had an interesting life. He served in the Royal Field Artillery in France during World War I. After the war, he went to the University of Cambridge for his degree.
He taught at several important places. These included the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of London. Later, he returned to the University of Cambridge to teach.
In 1952, he became the Quick Professor of Biology at Cambridge. He received many honors for his scientific work. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1951. Then, in 1964, he was knighted, which means he became "Sir Vincent."
He was also the president of important scientific groups. He led the Royal Entomological Society from 1963 to 1964. He also led the Association of Applied Biologists from 1966 to 1967. Many other famous scientific groups around the world also welcomed him as a member.
Sir Vincent Wigglesworth married Mable K Semple in 1922. They had four children together.
A type of bacterium that lives inside the tsetse fly is named after him. It's called Wigglesworthia glossinidia. This shows how important his work was in the world of science!
