Cartoon by J G C in Glasgow University Magazine 31 January 1917, depicting Diarmid Noel Paton, Professor of Physiology, being subjected to the sorts of experiments he might have inflicted on a laboratory toad. The cartoons in GUM were often darkly comic, and the cartoonists were not afraid to poke fun at respected figures.
Paton (1859-1928) studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he became interested in physiology. He became a lecturer in Physiology at Surgeon's Hall and in 1888 became Superintendent of the research laboratories of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.
In 1907 Paton was appointed to the Chair of Physiology at the University of Glasgow, where he became a popular and respected teacher. His research interests included the links between nutrition and social problems, and the significance of vitamins. He was a pioneer in the study of metabolic processes, and made a major contribution to the early study of endocrinology.
Reference: Glasgow University Archive Services, DC198/28
Glasgow University Archive Services
Keywords:
animal experiments, artists, cartoonists, cartoons, endocrinology, frogs, Glasgow University Magazine, GUM, medicine, nutrition, physiology, professors, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, scientists, Surgeons' Hall, toads, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, vivisection