Carroll Williams

Carroll Milton Williams (December 2, 1916 in Oregon Hill, Richmond, Virginia - October 11, 1991 in Watertown, Massachusetts) was an American zoologist known for his work in entomology and developmental biology -- in particular, metamorphosis in insects. He performed groundbreaking surgical experiments on larvae and pupae,[1] and developed multiple new techniques, including the use of carbon dioxide as an anesthetic.[2] His impact on entomology has been compared to that of Vincent Wigglesworth.[3]

Williams was the first to isolate juvenile hormone and ecdysone, and discovered cocoonase and cytochrome b5,[4] as well as the "paper factor".[5] He subsequently proposed that hormonal analogues could be used as pesticides by disrupting the developmental cycles of insects.[6][7]

Williams was the chairman of the biology department at Harvard University from 1959 to 1962, and the Benjamin Bussey Professor of Biology from 1966 until his retirement in 1987.[8] He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, where he was a member of the Academy's council for two terms and chairman of biological sciences for one. He was also a member of the Institute of Medicine, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.[3]

References

  1. ^ Deaths elsewhere: Carroll M. Williams, 74, a Harvard University biologist, from the Baltimore Sun; published October 20, 1991; retrieved November 16, 2011
  2. ^ Entomologists Hope Attention Will Plant Bug in Decision Makers' Ears from the Los Angeles Times, by Don Kendall (for the Associated Press); originally published October 15, 1989; retrieved November 16 2011
  3. ^ a b Carroll Milton Williams (2 December 1916-11 October 1991), from the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (at JSTOR), Vol. 141, No. 1 (Mar., 1997), pp. 116-121; by F. C. Kafatos, E. O. Wilson and Daniel Branton
  4. ^ Memorial Minutes on Carroll Williams (FAS) and Aaron Gissen (HMS) and Louis Zetzel (HMS), from the Harvard Gazette; published March 21, 1996; retrieved November 16, 2011
  5. ^ A Giant Among Bugs: Professor Williams' Entomological Legacy from the Harvard Crimson, by Rebecca J. Joseph, originally published March 10, 1982; retrieved November 16, 2011
  6. ^ Third-Generation Pesticides, from the Harvard Crimson, (no writer attributed), originally published March 11, 1970; retrieved November 16, 2011
  7. ^ Henrick, C. A. (2007). "Methoprene". Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 23 (2 Suppl): 225–239. doi:10.2987/8756-971X(2007)23[225:M]2.0.CO;2. PMID 17853608.  edit
  8. ^ OBITUARY: Carroll Milton Williams (1916-1991), by William H. Telfer, from the Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society (archived at Yale University) vol. 46 no. 2 (20 August 1992), pp 169-171