Carroll Williams

Carroll Williams in 1956

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, for which he won the George Ledlie Prize. 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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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.
  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