William A. Wimsatt
| William A. Wimsatt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
William Abell Wimsatt July 28, 1917 (aged 67) Washington, D. C. |
| Died |
January 9, 1985 Ithaca, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields |
Biology of Bats Biology of Reproduction |
| Institutions | Cornell University |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Doctoral advisor | Arthur "Doc" Allen |
| Known for |
Biology of Bats Reproductive Anatomy |
| Influences | Batman |
| Influenced | Spiderman |
| Notable awards |
Fellow of AAAS Guggenheim Fellowship Gerrit R. Miller prize |
William A. Wimsatt (born July 28, 1917 – died, January 9, 1985) was professor of Zoology and Chairman of the Department of Zoology at Cornell University. From 1945 until 1960, Wimsatt taught courses in histology and embryology in the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine.[1] [2] He was well known for his pioneering research on the interrelationships of hibernation and reproduction and the biology of bats.
Biography
Intellectual
When Wimsatt was a student at St. John’s Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., he attended a lecture by Professor Arthur "Doc" Allen (who founded the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This triggered strong a desire in Wimsatt to study at Cornell. Due to his mother’s illness, he was unable to transfer from Catholic University in Washington to Cornell, but after her death he did. After he graduated, he became one of “Doc” Allen’s graduate students in ornithology.[3] In 1943, after Wimsatt received his doctorate at Cornell, he became an instructor of anatomy at Harvard Medical School. In 1945, he returned to Cornell and was appointed assistant professor of zoology. In 1947, he was promoted to associate professor and in 1951, he was promoted to professor of zoology; a position he held until his death.[1] [2]
Wimsatt made many research trips to Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands, but his most desired research trips were to the tropics of Mexico. In 1962, he spent a year working with Dr. Bernardo Villa at the University of Mexico after receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship. He spent three sabbatical leaves at the University of Arizona College of Medicine working with Dr. Philip Krutzsch, who shared similar research interests. He was a widely acclaimed as editor of the series Biology of Bats. His expertise was on the functional morphology of placentae. A look at his publications reveals his ability to use novel approaches in diverse areas of reproductive biology (e.g., embryology, placentation, and fetal membranes), ecological physiology, hibernation, and the integumentary, urinary, and digestive systems. This broad background served him well as an Associate Editor of The American Journal of Anatomy from 1974 until shortly before his death.[1] [2]
Wimsatt was a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University from 1960 through 1965. He served for many years as a Director of the Cornell University Research Foundation, Inc. He was a member of Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Zeta; a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the American Association of Anatomists, the American Society of Mammalogists, the Histochemical Society, the Society for the Study of Reproduction, and the American Society of Zoologists. He helped found of the Annual North American Symposium on Bat Research and in 1981 he was awarded the Gerrit R. Miller prize “for his outstanding record of contributions to chiropteran biology.”[2] Those who knew him at Cornell gave him a nickname based on his studies, knowing of him as a "modern-day 'Batman.'"
Personal
Wimsatt was born in Washington D. C., the son of Alma Engebretson Cheyney and William Church Wimsatt. In 1940, Wimsatt married Ruth Claire Peterson (a fellow student at Cornell whom he met in a bird-watching class). He lived in Ithaca, New York for most of his life, building a small cabin there. He has six children, William C. Wimsatt, Jr., Ph.D.; Michael, M.D.; John, A.A.S.; Mary, M. A.; Jeffrey, D.V.M.; and Ruth, M.S., six of which also received degrees from Cornell. After a courageous battle with cancer, he died January 9, 1985.[3]
Selected publications
- Wimsatt W. A., Enders AC. Structure and morphogenesis of the uterus, placenta, and paraplacental organs of the neotropical disc-winged bat Thyroptera tricolor spix (Microchiroptera: Thyropteridae). Wimsatt WA, Enders AC. Am J Anat. 1980 Oct;159(2):209-43.
- Wimsatt W. A. Reproductive asymmetry and unilateral pregnancy in Chiroptera. J Reprod Fertil. 1979 May;56(1):345-57.
- Wimsatt W. A. Some comparative aspects of implantation. Biol Reprod. 1975 Feb;12(1):1-40.
- Wimsatt W. A. Morphogenesis of the fetal membranes and placenta of the black bear, Ursus americanus (Pallas). Am J Anat. 1974 Aug;140(4):471-95.
- Wimsatt W. A. Enders A. C., Mossman H. W. A reexamination of the chorioallantoic placental membrane of a shrew, Blarina brevicauda: resolution of a controversy. Am J Anat. 1973 Oct;138(2):207-33.
- Wimsatt W. A. Villa B. Locomotor adaptations in the disc-winged bat thyroptera tricolor. I. Functional organization of the adhesive discs. Am J Anat. 1970 Sep;129(1):89-119.
- Wimsatt W. A. Some interrelations of reproduction and hibernation in mammals. Symp Soc Exp Biol. 1969;23:511-49.
- Wimsatt W. A. Some aspects of the comparative anatomy of the mammalian placenta. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1962 Dec 1;84:1568-94.
- Wimsatt W. A. Gopalakrishna A. Occurrence of a placental hematoma in the primitie sheath-tailed bats (Emballonuridae), with observations on its structure, development and histochemistry. Am J Anat. 1958 Jul;103(1):35-67.
- Wimsatt W. A. The allantoic-placental barrier in Chiroptera: a new concept of its organization and histochemistry. Acta Anat (Basel). 1958;32(1-2):141-86.
- Wimsatt W. A., Kallen F. C. The unique maturation response of the graafian follicles of hibernating vespertilionid bats and the question of its significance. Anat Rec. 1957 Sep;129(1):115-31.
- Wimsatt W. A. On the nature of the interscapular gland of the tropical American fruit bat Artibeus jamaicensis Leach. Anat Rec. 1955 Mar;121(3):549-63.
- Wimsatt W. A. The fetal membranes and placentation of the tropical American vampire bat Desmodus rotundus murinus, with notes on the histochemistry of the placenta. Acta Anat (Basel). 1954;21(4):285-341.
- Wimsatt W. A., Trapido H. Reproduction and the female reproductive cycle in the tropical American vampire bat, desmodus rotundus murinus. Am J Anat. 1952 Nov;91(3):415-45.
- Wimsatt W. A. Observations on the morphogenesis, cytochemistry, and significance of the binocleate giant cells of the placenta of ruminants. Am J Anat. 1951 Sep;89(2):233-81.
- Wimsatt W. A. New histological observations on the placenta of the sheep. Am J Anat. 1950 Nov;87(3):391-457.
- Wimsatt W. A. Cytochemical observations on the fetal membranes and placenta of the bat, Myotis lucifugus lucifugus. Am J Anat. 1949 Jan;84(1):63-141.
- Wimsatt W. A. The nature and distribution of lipoids in the placenta of the bat, Myotis lucifugus lucifugs, with observations on the mitochondria and Golgi apparatus. Am J Anat. 1948 May;82(3):393-467.
- Wimsatt W. A. Weslocki G. B. The placentation of the American shrews, Blarina brevicauda and Sorex fumeus. Am J Anat. 1947 May;80(3):361-435.
References
- 1 2 3 "Wimsatt, William Abell". Cornell University.
- 1 2 3 4 Kwiecinski, Gary G.; Mark A. Cukierski; G. Roy Horst (1987). "William A. Wimsatt: Dedication and Biography". The American Journal of Anatomy. 178 (4): 309–311. doi:10.1002/aja.1001780402.
- 1 2 Evans, Howard E.; et al. "William Abell Wimsatt: July 28, 1917 – January 9, 1985" (PDF). Cornell University.
