Henry George Chapman MD MB BS (1879 - 1934)

Born 13 Jan 1879 in Ealing, London, England

Husband of Julie Adelaide Elizabeth Ramsay (Cox) Chapman — married 30 Dec 1903 (to about 1916) in Walkerville, South Australia, Australia

Died 24 May 1934 at age 55 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Professor Henry George Chapman MD MB BS was born on 13th January 1879 at Ealing, London, England. He was the son of Henry George Chapman, solicitor's clerk, and his wife Mary Ann Ryden. ^[1]

Henry Chapman MD MB BS migrated from England to Victoria.

He accompanied his family to the Colony of Victoria (Australia) about 1886, whereupon he was educated at Hawthorn College, Victoria. ^[2]

Academic career

After graduating with the dual degrees Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Ormond College, University of Melbourne, he was acting professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide whilst he completed his Doctorate of Medicine. In 1902 Chapman returned to the University of Melbourne as demonstrator in pathology. From 1903 to 1913 he was lecturer and demonstrator in physiology at the University of Sydney, whereupon he was appointed assistant professor of physiology. In 1918 he became professor of pharmacology and succeeded to the pharmacology chair in 1921. ^[2]

Chapman was honorary treasurer of the Royal Society in 1912-34 and president of the Linnean Society in 1918; was honorary treasurer of the national council and New South Wales branch of the Australian Chemical Institute from 1919 and State president in 1931-33. ^[2]

In 1928 Chapman was made director of cancer research of the University of Sydney despite opposition from members of the science faculty, who doubted both his integrity and his scientific status and distrusted his public image. He made little contribution to research, and in 1930 a series of newspaper articles exposed bitter dissension within the cancer committee and some dubious aspects of Chapman's career. ^[2]

Marriage and family

Chapman married Julie Cox on 30th December 1903 at Walkerville, South Australia. ^[3] The couple had a son and two daughters:

1. Dorothy (1904-), married Baptist evangelist and decorated First World War veteran, Jack Ridley MC.
2. Mary (1906-)
3. Henry (1908-86)

About 1916, Chapman separated from his wife, and thereafter resided at the University Club, Castlereagh Street, Sydney, also maintaining a flat at Bondi—by 1928 he was living prodigally. ^[4]

Death and subsequent discoveries

He took poisons in his university rooms and took his own life on 24th May 1934 at Sydney, New South Wales. He was buried in the Anglican section of Northern Suburbs Cemetery. ^[5]

Ten days after his death, his estate was sequestrated on the petition of the Royal Society, which claimed he owed its funds £3,360. The other principal claimant, for £15,280, was the Australian National Research Council, of which Chapman had been honorary treasurer. Officers of both bodies had been pressing for an audit and Chapman had just been asked to resign his university post. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ UK FreeBMD Birth Index Mar qtr 1879, vol 3a, page 87; registered at Brentford
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Teale, Ruth. Chapman, Henry George (1879–1934). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1979; accessed online 16 May 2020
3. ↑ South Australia Marriage Index #217/1214 1903
4. ↑ Williams, Roy and Meyers, Elizabeth. Mr Eternity: the Story of Arthur Stace. Acorn Press, Sydney NSW, 2017. ISBN 978 0 99461 16654.
5. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #5807/1934