Lawson Soulsby, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior
Encyclopedia
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and parasitologist
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
.
Soulsby was brought up in the former county of Westmorland on the family farm at Williamsgill, Newbiggin, Temple Sowerby. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School , which was founded in 1564, is a selective secondary school in Penrith, Cumbria, England.-History:It moved from its original premises in St Andrew's churchyard to its present site on Ullswater Road , close to the railway station, in 1917...
, and then at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Soulsby was Professor of Animal Pathology at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in the UK from 1978 to 1993. He has been a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of Wolfson College, Cambridge
Wolfson College, Cambridge
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Wolfson is one of a small number of Cambridge colleges which admit only students over the age of 21. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates, with around 15% studying undergraduate...
since 1978.
Career
Soulsby was a Veterinary Officer for the City of Edinburgh from 1949 to 1952, and then a lecturerLecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in Clinical Parasitology at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
from 1952 to 1954. From 1954 to 1963 Soulsby was a lecturer in Animal Pathology at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He was Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Parasitology at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
until 1978, when he returned to the University of Cambridge as Professor of Animal Pathology.
Before his retirement Soulsby was also a visiting professor at various universities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is an honorary member of numerous international parasitology societies and has been awarded numerous honorary degrees and awards.
Soulsby has been a member of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom. Established in 1844 by Royal Charter, its statutory duties are laid out in the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.-Role:...
since 1978 and is a past President of the Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
, past President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom. Established in 1844 by Royal Charter, its statutory duties are laid out in the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.-Role:...
and is Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
He was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
on 22 May 1990 as Baron Soulsby of Swaffam Prior, of Swaffham Prior in the County of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and was introduced
Introduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 12 June 1990, where he sits as a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
He served on the Government's inquiry into fox hunting
Burns Inquiry
The Burns Inquiry was a Government committee set up to examine the facts in the debate in the United Kingdom about fox hunting and other forms of hunting with dogs.-Establishment:...
and is an expert adviser to the UK Government on animal welfare, science and technology, biotechnology and environmental issues. He is in addition the President of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and the President of the Royal Institute of Public Health until 2008, when it merged with the Royal Society of Health to become the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). He served the new body as President until the end of 2009 and is an Honorary Fellow of the RSPH.http://www.britainusa.com/sections/articles_show_nt1.asp?d=0&i=32501&L1=32500&L2=32501&a=33460
Lord Soulsby is also veterinary surgeon to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Soulsby has published 14 books as well as articles in various veterinary journals.
His granddaughters are Kananu Kirimi
Kananu Kirimi
Kananu Kirimi is a Scottish actor born in the Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland of a Kenyan father and Scottish mother.Kirimi is currently appearing as locum Dr...
(actress) and Iona Soulsby (student of Environmental Science and Development Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand).
External references
- Lord Soulsby's page at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Who's Who 2007 Published by A & C Black Publishers Ltd
Selected works
- Textbook of Veterinary Clinical Parasitology [1965]
- Biology of Parasites [1966]
- Epidemiology and Control of Nematodiasis in Cattle [1981]