STUDY OF BRAINS OF SIX EMINENT SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS. 265 



ANDREW JACKSON PARKER, M.D. 



Born in Philadelphia, August 17, 1855. He was of New England parentage. He 

 was educated in the public schools and while in the grammar school, he attracted 

 attention because of his unusual brightness and unusual facility in the writing of com- 

 positions. AVhile a student at the Central High School, he became greatly interested 

 in scientific subjects. He had the unique distincticm of never attaining less than the 

 highest possible mark in either physics, chemistry or mathematics. 



He matriculated in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 

 the spring of 1874 and while there enjoyed the great privilege of being the personal 

 student and pupil of Prof Joseph Leidy. Professor Leidy became greatly interested 

 in Parker as did also Dr. Henry C. ( "hapman. Parker evinced an especial interest in 

 the purely scientific branches of medicine and concentrated his attention upon general 

 biology and comparative anatom3^ Clinical medicine interested him very little. 

 Under the stimulus of Leidy, he studied the protozoa and to a large extent inverte- 

 brate forms, while he diligently dissected the great mass of vertebrate material placed 

 in his hands by Professor Chapman. He was especially fortunate in having placed at 

 his disposal a large number of brains of apes and monkeys. With the aid of the 

 coroner, he collected quite a number of negro brains. 



At his graduation in 1877, he presented a thesis on "The Morphology of the 

 ('erebral Convolutions with Special Reference to the Order of Primates." This thesis 

 was awarded a prize and later formed the nucleus of a more elaborate paper which 

 was subsequently awarded the Boyleston prize of Harvard University and which was 

 ■published in the Proceedings of the Journal of the Academj^ of Natural Sciences. 

 Volume X. At the age of twenty-four, he was appointed professor of comparative 

 anatomy in the University of Pennsylvania, which position he held until he was thirty- 

 one, when ill-health compelled his resignation. 



Dr. Parker was five feet, seven inches in height, of rather slight build, though he 

 was muscularly very strong. His features were well defined, the nose being promi- 

 nent and rather aquiline, while the chin was exceedingly well developed and pro- 

 nounced. His eyes were large and so prominent as at times to suggest a slight degree 

 of exophthalmus. He was of dark complexion. He was an omnivorous reader ; his 

 favorite subjects by far were those which related to scientific matters, but he was 

 thoroughly at home in general literature. He was a devoted disciple of Spencer and 

 Huxley and a great admirer of Tyndall, Darwin and the other great scientists of his 

 day. His scientific papers were characterized by accuracy of statement, clearness of 

 thought and systematic and logical arrangement of the subject matter. They were 

 always original in character. In scientific debate, he was logical, forceful and con- 



