Francis Hugh Adam Marshall, 1878-1949

Abstract

F. H. A. Marshall was born at High Wycombe on 11 July 1878, the fifth child and fifth son of Thomas Marshall, J.P., and Mary ( Lucas) Marshall of that town. He died in Cambridge on 5 February 1949, following an emergency operation for appendicitis. He had suffered from indifferent health at several periods of his life, but his death was unexpected and came as a sad blow to his many pupils and colleagues. Marshall did not marry and his brothers had no children; he leaves no surviving near relatives except an elder brother. Marshall’s name must always be associated with the study of the physiology of reproduction. At the present time, reproduction in all its aspects is the subject of intensive research in every part of the world, and recent discoveries loom large. It is well, therefore, to recall that forty years ago Marshall was outstanding among the pioneers who were laying the foundations of what is now a major preoccupation of biologists. The development of present knowledge was influenced decisively by Marshall’s inspired perspicacity, and the writer is honoured to record, for new generations of biologists, the achievement and distinction of his one-time tutor.