Animal Genetics Department, Edinburgh
- Date:
- 20th century
- Reference:
- UGC 198/10/3/1
- Part of:
- Papers of Guido Pellegrino Arrigo Pontecorvo, geneticist, Professor of Genetics, University of Glasgow, Scotland
- Archives and manuscripts
Collection contents
About this work
Publication/Creation
20th century
Physical description
3 photographs
Biographical note
In 1938, when Pontecorvo was dismissed from the Department of Agriculture for Tuscany due to Nazi inspired racial laws, Alick Buchanan-Smith helped him secure a scholarship in Edinburgh. Pontecorvo's intention was to stay for a year then continue on to Peru to take up an animal breeding Government contract. But the contract was cancelled when war broke out and Pontecorvo was stranded in Scotland. It was while working at Edinburgh University that he met, and was inspired by the geneticist Hermann Jospeh Muller, and became interested in his ideas on the nature of the gene. He gave up animal breeding work and embarked on a PhD supervised by Muller. Pontecorvo returned to the Department in 1944 to lecture before he became a Lecturer in Genetics at the University of Glasgow in 1945.
Location of duplicates
A digitised copy is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.
Terms of use
Open and available at Glasgow University Archives Service.
Where to find it
Location of original
The original material is held at Glasgow University Archive Services. This catalogue is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.