Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971

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American embryologist.

From the description of Letter, 1934. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122461539

Biography

Herbert McLean Evans was born on September 23, 1882 in Modesto, California, the son, grandson and nephew of prominent physicians. In 1904 he received a B.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After spending one year at the University of California School of Medicine, he completed his medical education at Johns Hopkins, where he studied with such distinguished individuals as Franklin P. Mall and William Stewart Halsted. Evans published papers as a student (including major contributions to Mall and Keibel's Manual of Human Embryology) and over a period of sixty-two years he authored, or co-authored, over six hundred papers. Following his graduation in 1908, Dr. Evans joined the staff of Dr. Mall's department.

In 1915 he was appointed chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California. Here he embarked on experimental studies that gained for him and his associates worldwide recognition. In 1921 he and Joseph A. Long described the estrous cycle of the female rat, which eventually led to an interest in the influence of vitamins on fecundity and the discovery in 1926 of vitamin E. Also in collaboration with Dr. Long, he confirmed the pituitary gland's role in growth. In 1930 he was appointed Director of the Institute of Experimental Biology on the Berkeley campus. In 1939 he and co-workers separated the growth hormone from the total secretion of the anterior pituitary; in 1944 he and Drs. Cho Hao Li and M. E. Simpson crystallized a pure form. Later, with Drs. Li and Simpson, he separated and purified the pituitary's interstitial-cell-stimulating hormone. Following his retirement in 1952, Dr. Evans taught the histology course for medical students on the Berkeley campus.

Dr. Evans received numerous international honors, including horary doctoral degrees from leading educational institutions in Europe, South American and the United States. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Evans was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Kaiserliche Leopoldinisch-Carolinische Deutche Akademie der Naturforscher, Societas Regia Medicorum Budapestinensis, American Physiological Society and the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. He was also past president of the American Association of Anatomists and an honorary member of many foreign medical and scientific societies. Dr. Evans was one of the founders of the History of Science Society, and as a lifelong bibliophile he amassed what was described in 1961 as "one of the world's great collections of scientific first editions." Dr. Evans died on March 5, 1971.

From the guide to the Herbert McLean Evans Papers, 1943-1966, (University of California, San Francisco. Library. Archives and Special Collections.)

Biography

Herbert McLean Evans was born on September 23, 1882 in Modesto, California, the son, grandson and nephew of prominent physicians. In 1904 he received a B.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After spending one year at the University of California School of Medicine, he completed his medical education at Johns Hopkins, where he studied with such distinguished individuals as Franklin P. Mall and William Stewart Halsted. Evans published papers as a student (including major contributions to Mall and Keibel's Manual of Human Embryology) and over a period of sixty-two years he authored, or co-authored, over six hundred papers. Following his graduation in 1908, Dr. Evans joined the staff of Dr. Mall's department.

In 1915 he was appointed chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California. Here he embarked on experimental studies that gained for him and his associates worldwide recognition. In 1921 he and Joseph A. Long described the estrous cycle of the female rat, which eventually led to an interest in the influence of vitamins on fecundity and the discovery in 1926 of vitamin E. Also in collaboration with Dr. Long, he confirmed the pituitary gland's role in growth. In 1930 he was appointed Director of the Institute of Experimental Biology on the Berkeley campus. In 1939 he and co-workers separated the growth hormone from the total secretion of the anterior pituitary; in 1944 he and Drs. Cho Hao Li and M. E. Simpson crystallized a pure form. Later, with Drs. Li and Simpson, he separated and purified the pituitary's interstitial-cell-stimulating hormone. Following his retirement in 1952, Dr. Evans taught the histology course for medical students on the Berkeley campus.

Dr. Evans received numerous international honors, including horary doctoral degrees from leading educational institutions in Europe, South American and the United States. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Evans was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Kaiserliche Leopoldinisch-Carolinische Deutche Akademie der Naturforscher, Societas Regia Medicorum Budapestinensis, American Physiological Society and the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. He was also past president of the American Association of Anatomists and an honorary member of many foreign medical and scientific societies. Dr. Evans was one of the founders of the History of Science Society, and as a lifelong bibliophile he amassed what was described in 1961 as "one of the world's great collections of scientific first editions." Dr. Evans died on March 5, 1971.

From the guide to the Herbert McLean Evans Biographical papers, memorabilia, 1946-1970, (University of California, San Francisco. Library. Archives and Special Collections.)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Papers, 1943-. University of California, San Francisco
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Biographical papers, memorabilia, 1946-1970. University of California, San Francisco
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Herbert McLean Evans papers, 1904-1969. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Alessandri, Arturo, 1868-1950. Letter to Monroe E. Deutsch, Vice President, University of California : Santiago Chile : LS, 1941 Mar. 24. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Black, Davidson, 1884-1934. Letter, 1930 Nov. 6, Dept. of Anatomy, Peking Union Medical College, Peking [to] Herbert M. Evans, Anatomical Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley / Davidson Black. California Academy of Sciences
referencedIn Homer D. Crotty papers and addenda, 1859-2011 The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Manuscripts Department
referencedIn Houghton Library printed book provenance file, E-K. Houghton Library
referencedIn Cyril Long papers, 1920-1970, 1920-1970 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Herbert McLean Evans Biographical papers, memorabilia, 1946-1970 University of California, San Francisco. . Library Archives and Special Collections.
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Herbert McLean Evans papers : additions. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Letter, 1934. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. Herbert McLean Evans papers : Additions, undated. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Briones, John H. Recollections of John Muir [sound recording]. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Muriel Rukeyser collection of papers, 1920-1976, 1931-1976 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
creatorOf Herbert McLean Evans Papers, 1943-1966 University of California, San Francisco. . Library Archives and Special Collections.
referencedIn Portraits of University of California individuals and groups, ca. 1850-[ongoing] Bancroft Library
referencedIn Chauncey Depew Leake Papers, 1912-1978 University of California, San Francisco. . Library Archives and Special Collections.
referencedIn Long, C. N. H. (Cyril Norman Hugh), 1901-1970. Papers, 1920-1970. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Evans, Herbert M. (Herbert McLean), 1882-1971. A collection of miscellaneous biobibliographical material on this person may be found on the shelves under the above call number. National Library of Medicine
referencedIn William Frederic Badè papers, 1871-1936 Bancroft Library
creatorOf Briones, John H. Recollections of John Muir : oral history transcript / tape recorded interviews conducted 1964 by John M. Jencks and Ernest Lowe for the Regional Oral History Office, the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, California, 1971 : and related material, 1964-1971. UC Berkeley Libraries
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Alessandri, Arturo, 1868-1950. person
correspondedWith Badè, William Frederic, 1871-1936 person
associatedWith Black, Davidson, 1884-1934. person
associatedWith Crotty, Homer D. person
associatedWith Houghton Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Leake, Chauncey Depew, 1896-1978 person
associatedWith Long, C. N. H. (Cyril Norman Hugh), 1901-1970. person
associatedWith Long, Cyril, 1915- person
associatedWith Rukeyser, Muriel, 1913- person
associatedWith Simpson, Miriam E. (Miriam Elizabeth), 1894- person
associatedWith University of California, Berkeley. Dept. of Anatomy. corporateBody
associatedWith University of California, Berkeley. Dept. of Biology. corporateBody
associatedWith University of California, Berkeley. Institute of Experimental Biology. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
California
California--Berkeley
Subject
Booksellers and bookselling
Biology, Experimental
California State Prison at San Quentin
Embryologists
Endocrinology
History of Science Dinner Club (Berkeley, California)
Medical illustration
[Medical films: HME rat experiments]
Science
Science
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1882-09-23

Death 1971-03-06

Information

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