The Papers of George Busk
TitleThe Papers of George Busk
ReferenceMS0293
Level of descriptionfonds
Date1812-1876
Admin./ biographical historyGeorge Busk was a Naval Surgeon, Naturalist, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1843). He was one of the original 300 Fellows. He became a Member of the College in 1830 and was stationed on board the Grampus, the seamen's hospital ship at Greenwich. In 1832, he was transferred from the Grampus to the Dreadnought, where he acted as Assistant Surgeon. He became Resident Surgeon by 1837, First Surgeon in 1841, Visiting Surgeon in 1854 and then Consulting Surgeon from 1866. During his service, he made successful use of the microscope in the investigation of pathological subjects such as cholera, and also made some important observations on scurvy. On these subjects, and on cases of smallpox and typhus fever, he contributed a number of reports to the Seamen's Hospital Society. In 1855, Busk retired from active service and settled in Central London, at 15 and later 32 Harley Street. He withdrew from private practice in order to focus on natural history. Around 1861, he became interested in palaeontology. Busk's early natural history studies centered on the microscopic investigation of the lower forms of life. He was the first to formulate a scientific arrangement of Bryozoa (Polyzoa) for an article in the English Cyclopedia (1856).He wrote some seventy to eighty papers on botany, zoology, and medicine and published translations of various important reports and papers. Busk was editor of the Microscopical Journal (1842), the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science (1853-1868), Natural History Review (1861-1865) and the Journal of the Ethnological Society (1869-1870). At the College, he was Hunterian Professor from 1856 to 1859, a Member of Council from 1836 to 1880, Examiner from 1868 to 1872, President in 1871, and Vice-President (1872 to 1873, 1879 to 1880).
For more information on Busk's life and career, please visit his profile on Plarr's Lives of the Fellows: https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002fSD_ASSET:372384/one?qu=George+Busk&te=ASSET
For more information on Busk's life and career, please visit his profile on Plarr's Lives of the Fellows: https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002fSD_ASSET:372384/one?qu=George+Busk&te=ASSET
Scope and ContentThis collection features a large number of items relating to natural history including notes, sketches, photographs and measurements of osteological specimens, German to English translations made by Busk and his lecture notes. The majority of the papers cover Busk's work on invertebrate zoology and comparative osteology in humans and mammals (with particular emphasis on bears). Also includes significant photographic, illustrative and biometric content on palaeontological specimens.
Extent14 boxes, 1 folder
LanguageEnglish
Conditions governing accessThis collection is available to everyone for research. It can be consulted in our Research Room at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE. It is essential to book in advance so we can ensure material is available. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk to book a Research Room appointment.
Conditions governing reproductionCopies of material in the archives can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents. Some items within this collection may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study. Permission to publish material, in print or online, must be sought in advance from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and, where appropriate, the copyright holder. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk in the first instance.
NotesBiographical information taken from the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" (OUP 2004) and from "Lives of the Fellows" (pub. 1930).
Persons keyword George 1807-1886 naval surgeon and naturalist Busk
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