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British mycologists 14. F T Brooks (1882–1952); W Brown (1888–1975)
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BRITISH MYCOLOGISTS 14. F T BROOKS (1882-1952); W BROWN (1888-1975)
F T Brooks, BMS President 1922
W Brown, BMS President 1933
For a generation after the 1914-18 war the first choice of those determined on a career in mycology or plant pathology was to become an undergraduate or postgraduate student either at Cambridge under F T Brooks or the Imperial College of Science under W Brown. At the time it seemed that every plant pathologist or mycologist south of the Border and many overseas had been directly or indirectly influenced by one or other of these teachers. It has been estimated that Brooks was responsible for the training of nearly a hundred mycologists and plant pathologists while the Imperial College developed special relationships with India and Egypt from where many postgraduate students came. It is still sometimes possible to deduce from Indian papers that the author's supervisor was a student of, or had been trained by a student of. Professor Brown.
Brooks and Brown were of differing types. William Brown was a lowland Scot of farming stock and he retained a feel for the land throughout his life. He was never happier than tending his experimental plots or working in his large garden at home. After basic schooling and gaining an Edinburgh degree in mathematics and physics, many medals, and a life-long interest in the classics, in 1912 he moved to the Imperial College, at first with a scholarship to work under V H Blackman, where he became established, in 1928, as professor of plant pathology and during 1938-53 was Head of the Botany Department. He did pioneering work on the physiology of parasitism and although he summarised this work at intervals in notable reviews it was Lilian Hawker, his assistant lecturer, who wrote the book on fungal physiology he could have written. Brown was a man of few words, although he could be an interesting talker, and at meetings was renowned for asking pertinent questions. Frederick Tom Brooks in contrast had conventional middle class upbringing - private school and Cambridge. A brilliant student, on graduation he was awarded the Smart studentship and subsequently the post of junior demonstrator in the Botany Department where, on Marshall Ward's death at the age of 52 in 1906, Brooks, at only 24 took over the teaching of mycology and plant pathology which he developed and extended during the next 40 years. He became a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Reader in Mycology, and in 1936 Professor of Botany. He is best remembered for his work and that of his students on silver leaf of plum and the studies he initiated on cereal diseases and bacterial diseases of plants. His mycologically biased Plant Diseases (1928) was for long the only British plant pathological textbook and a second edition appeared posthumously in 1953.
Brooks, like Brown, a keen gardener (but his garden was designed to supply pathological material for his students) was in many ways a typical don and college man. He served on many and diverse committees and was influential in determining policy on diverse aspects of British agriculture. Finally it may be recalled that both Brooks and Brown were elected to the Royal Society, both in turn became president of Section K (Botany) of the British Association and of the BMS which elected them both to Honorary Membership. G C Ainsworth
BRITISH MYCOLOGISTS 14. F T BROOKS (1882-1952); W BROWN (1888-1975)
F T Brooks, BMS President 1922
W Brown, BMS President 1933
For a generation after the 1914-18 war the first choice of those determined on a career in mycology or plant pathology was to become an undergraduate or postgraduate student either at Cambridge under F T Brooks or the Imperial College of Science under W Brown. At the time it seemed that every plant pathologist or mycologist south of the Border and many overseas had been directly or indirectly influenced by one or other of these teachers. It has been estimated that Brooks was responsible for the training of nearly a hundred mycologists and plant pathologists while the Imperial College developed special relationships with India and Egypt from where many postgraduate students came. It is still sometimes possible to deduce from Indian papers that the author's supervisor was a student of, or had been trained by a student of. Professor Brown.
Brooks and Brown were of differing types. William Brown was a lowland Scot of farming stock and he retained a feel for the land throughout his life. He was never happier than tending his experimental plots or working in his large garden at home. After basic schooling and gaining an Edinburgh degree in mathematics and physics, many medals, and a life-long interest in the classics, in 1912 he moved to the Imperial College, at first with a scholarship to work under V H Blackman, where he became established, in 1928, as professor of plant pathology and during 1938-53 was Head of the Botany Department. He did pioneering work on the physiology of parasitism and although he summarised this work at intervals in notable reviews it was Lilian Hawker, his assistant lecturer, who wrote the book on fungal physiology he could have written. Brown was a man of few words, although he could be an interesting talker, and at meetings was renowned for asking pertinent questions. Frederick Tom Brooks in contrast had conventional middle class upbringing - private school and Cambridge. A brilliant student, on graduation he was awarded the Smart studentship and subsequently the post of junior demonstrator in the Botany Department where, on Marshall Ward's death at the age of 52 in 1906, Brooks, at only 24 took over the teaching of mycology and plant pathology which he developed and extended during the next 40 years. He became a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Reader in Mycology, and in 1936 Professor of Botany. He is best remembered for his work and that of his students on silver leaf of plum and the studies he initiated on cereal diseases and bacterial diseases of plants. His mycologically biased Plant Diseases (1928) was for long the only British plant pathological textbook and a second edition appeared posthumously in 1953.
Brooks, like Brown, a keen gardener (but his garden was designed to supply pathological material for his students) was in many ways a typical don and college man. He served on many and diverse committees and was influential in determining policy on diverse aspects of British agriculture. Finally it may be recalled that both Brooks and Brown were elected to the Royal Society, both in turn became president of Section K (Botany) of the British Association and of the BMS which elected them both to Honorary Membership. G C Ainsworth