XXV11 



AUGUSTUS DESIRE WALLER, 1856-1922. 



It was with the greatest surprise and deepest regret that his numerous friends 

 heard of the sudden death of Prof. Waller a few weeks ago. He was ill for 

 only twelve days ; he had a slight stroke, from which his medical attendants 

 thought he would fully recover, but other and severer haemorrhages followed 

 and he passed quietly away on March 11th. 



He was born on July 12th, 1856, so that at his death he was in his sixty- 

 sixth year. He was in full vigour and no one would have expected from his 

 energy, both mental and bodily, that the end would come so soon. 



He was the only child of Dr. Augustus Yolney Waller, F.R.S., and like 

 his father he became famous in physiology. His father's name in adjectival 

 form is familiar throughout the world, and his discovery of what is now 

 called " Wallerian degeneration " stands out as one of the most important 

 milestones in physiological history. His son was very jealous of the 

 reputation of his father, and I remember one of the few occasions on which I 

 have seen him roused to anger was when he thought his father's work had 

 been misrepresented. He dedicated his ' Introduction to Human Physiology ' 

 to his father's memory, summarising the latter 's work in the words : — 



Emigration of leucocytes, 1846. 

 Degeneration and regeneration of nerve, 1856. 

 Cilio- spinal region, 1851. 

 Yaso-constrictor action of sympathetic, 1853. 



One of his sons still carries on the physiological tradition, Dr. William 

 Waller being one of the junior staff at the University of Liverpool. 



The second Waller, whose loss we have now to deplore, was born in Paris., 

 where at the time his father was pursuing his work, and he received his early 

 education at the College de Geneve. This early training had considerable 

 influence subsequently. He wrote and spoke French fluently, and he usually 

 communicated the results of his research work to learned societies in both 

 countries. Some of his mannerisms, his expressive and eloquent gestures,, 

 were doubtless to be traced to the same source. 



In 1870 his father died and he went with his mother to Aberdeen, where, 

 after graduating M.B., CM., in 1878, he finally took his M.D. in 1881. He 

 studied also in Edinburgh, but soon migrated to London, and worked at 

 University College under the then Professor of Physiology, Dr. (afterwards 

 Sir John) Burdon Sanderson. He received grants from the British Medical 

 Association to assist him in his investigations, and in 1884 became Research 

 Scholar under the same body. 



His first independent appointment as a teacher was that of Lecturer on 

 Physiology at the London School of Medicine for Women, where he met the 

 lady who became his wife and life-long companion and helper. He then 



