Papers of William Charles Osman Hill
TitlePapers of William Charles Osman Hill
ReferenceMS0521
Level of descriptionfonds
Datec1930-1975
Admin./ biographical historyWilliam Charles Osman Hill was a Zoologist, Anatomist and Primatologist. After graduating in medicine from the University of Birmingham, Osman Hill remained at thhe university as an Anatomy Lecturer until 1930. He then moved to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to become both Chair of Anatomy and Professor of Anatomy at the Ceylon Medical College (more recently named Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo or Colombo Medical School). His position allowed him to pursue anthropological studies of the indigenous Veddah people and comparative anatomy of primates. During this time, he began developing a private menagerie of exotic and native species. Osman Hill held this position in Ceylon for 14 years. He returned to the UK to take up an appointment as Reader in Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh in 1945. Upon his departure from Ceylon, his menagerie was divided between the London Zoo and the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka.
In 1950, he became Prosector for the Zoological Society of London and remained there for twelve years. Between 1957 and 1958, Osman Hill also acted as a visiting scholar at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1962, he was hired as the Assistant Director of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (YNPRC) in Atlanta after being turned down for the position of Director.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh honored him as a fellow in 1955 and for his contributions to science awarded him both its Gold Medal and the Macdougal-Brisbane Prize. Upon his retiring from YNPRC in 1969, the Royal College of Surgeons of England made him a Hunterian Trustee. Following retirement, Osman Hill divided his time between his home at Folkestone and his continued work at the University of Turin. He continued his anatomical studies until a few years before his death in 1975.
During his career, Osman Hill published 248 academic articles or chapters in books. He is best known for his work Primates: Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy, a series that aimed to include all living and extinct primates. Published by Edinburgh University between 1953 and 1974, the series was the culmination of 50 years of his scientific research and thought. Each volume covered its subjects exhaustively, including native and scientific nomenclature, anatomical structure, genetics, behavior and paleontology. The books were illustrated with photographs and drawings, most of which were made by his wife. This was supposed to be a nine volume series, but Osman Hill died before he could complete the ninth volume.
In his honor, two species have been named after him: Osman Hill's mangabey (Lophocebus osmani) and the Colombo wolf snake (Lycodon osmanhilli). The Primate Society of Great Britain named their Osman Hill Medal award after him. The award is given every two years for distinguished contributions to primatology.
Osman Hill is responsible for describing one subspecies of black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), the southern black-and-white ruffed lemur (V. v. editorum) in 1952; one subspecies of toque macaque (Macaca sinica), the highland toque macaque (M. s. opisthomelas) in 1942; one subspecies of red slender loris (Loris tardigradus), the Horton Plains slender loris (L. t. nycticeboides) in 1942; and two subspecies of gray slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus), the highland slender loris (L. l. grandis) in 1932 and the dry zone slender loris (L. l. nordicus) in 1933.
His extensive collection of biological primate specimens, which included tissues and skeletons, is preserved at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
In 1950, he became Prosector for the Zoological Society of London and remained there for twelve years. Between 1957 and 1958, Osman Hill also acted as a visiting scholar at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1962, he was hired as the Assistant Director of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (YNPRC) in Atlanta after being turned down for the position of Director.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh honored him as a fellow in 1955 and for his contributions to science awarded him both its Gold Medal and the Macdougal-Brisbane Prize. Upon his retiring from YNPRC in 1969, the Royal College of Surgeons of England made him a Hunterian Trustee. Following retirement, Osman Hill divided his time between his home at Folkestone and his continued work at the University of Turin. He continued his anatomical studies until a few years before his death in 1975.
During his career, Osman Hill published 248 academic articles or chapters in books. He is best known for his work Primates: Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy, a series that aimed to include all living and extinct primates. Published by Edinburgh University between 1953 and 1974, the series was the culmination of 50 years of his scientific research and thought. Each volume covered its subjects exhaustively, including native and scientific nomenclature, anatomical structure, genetics, behavior and paleontology. The books were illustrated with photographs and drawings, most of which were made by his wife. This was supposed to be a nine volume series, but Osman Hill died before he could complete the ninth volume.
In his honor, two species have been named after him: Osman Hill's mangabey (Lophocebus osmani) and the Colombo wolf snake (Lycodon osmanhilli). The Primate Society of Great Britain named their Osman Hill Medal award after him. The award is given every two years for distinguished contributions to primatology.
Osman Hill is responsible for describing one subspecies of black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), the southern black-and-white ruffed lemur (V. v. editorum) in 1952; one subspecies of toque macaque (Macaca sinica), the highland toque macaque (M. s. opisthomelas) in 1942; one subspecies of red slender loris (Loris tardigradus), the Horton Plains slender loris (L. t. nycticeboides) in 1942; and two subspecies of gray slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus), the highland slender loris (L. l. grandis) in 1932 and the dry zone slender loris (L. l. nordicus) in 1933.
His extensive collection of biological primate specimens, which included tissues and skeletons, is preserved at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Scope and ContentContains personal papers and memorabilia, ethnological research on the indigenous Veddah people of Sri Lanka, papers relating to Osman Hill's zoological research and his 'Comparative Anatomy in Primates' series, and film stock and photographs documenting zoological specimens and Osman Hill's travels. The film stock cannot currently be viewed due to the lack of appropriate viewing equipment.
Extent46 boxes
System of arrangementThis collection has been arranged into four broad groups representing the different areas of Osman Hill's life and work. The four series are 1) personal papers; 2) Ethnological research on the Veddah people of Sri Lanka; 3) Comparative anatomy research papers; and 4) photographs and film stock.
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. Please note we do not currently have the appropriate viewing equipment to allow access to the film stock.
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.
Related objectsRCS-MUS/7/30
The catalogues were originally kept with the Deposited archive collection, but have been catalogued as Museum papers because they document the cataloguing of the pathological specimens donated by Osman Hill to the RCS.
The catalogues were originally kept with the Deposited archive collection, but have been catalogued as Museum papers because they document the cataloguing of the pathological specimens donated by Osman Hill to the RCS.
NotesThis catalogue was created by Kate Tyte, January 2014, and completed by David Ogden, August 2014. The box list created by Barbara Rocci-Gatenby and Kate Tyte in September 2013 has been superceded and deleted.
Persons keyword William Charles Osman Hill, 1901-1975, zoologist
SubjectZoology, Primates, Ethnology, Anthropology, Anatomy, Comparative