Haddow, Alexander John (1912-1978: epidemiologist, Professor of Administrative History, University of Glasgow, 1971-1978)

Alexander John Haddow was born on the 27 December 1912 , son of Alexander and Margaret Blackburn Haddow. He married Margaret Ronald Scott Orr in 1946 and they had two sons.

He was educated at Hillhead School, Glasgow, Scotland before going onto study at the University of Glasgow obtaining his BSc with First Class Honours in Zoology in 1934 . In the following session he was the Strang-Steel research scholar. In 1938, he graduated MB ChB and then held an MRC junior research fellowship in tropical medicine for the next three years. In 1942, he moved to Africa to become an entomologist at the Yellow Fever Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda.

In 1945 , Haddow became a member of staff with the International Health Division of the Rockerfeller Foundation of New York, United States. He remained with the Foundation until 1949 when began work for the Overseas Research Service in Uganda. In 1950 he joined The East African Virus Research Institute as an epidemiologist becoming acting director in 1952 and director in 1953, a post he held until 1965 . He was appointed honorary professor of Entomology, Makerere College, Kampala, Uganda, and member of the WHO expert panel on viral diseases, and trustee of the Uganda National Parks. During his years in Africa he was awarded the Chalmers Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, the degrees of DSc and MD (with honours, and the Bellahouston Medal) and the Stewart Prize of the British Medical Association. In 1959 , he was awarded the CMG.

In 1965, he returned to Britain and was appointed senior lecturer in Epidemiology at the University of Glasgow. He was also the director of the Cancer Registration Bureau for the West of Scotland, a position he held from 1966 to 1970 . In 1970, he was appointed the Titular Professor of Tropical Medicine at Glasgow University. The following year he was appointed to the Chair of Administrative Medicine. He remained in this post until 1978 when he retired.

He was awarded the Keith Prize of the Royal Society of Endiburgh which was followed by his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1972 in recognition of his work on epidemiology of insect borne virus disease, particularly yellow fever and on burkitt lymphoma.

Amongst his many interests were whisky, bees and piping. He wrote many tunes for the bagpipes and well as articles concerning the history of piping.

Alexander John Haddow died on the 26 December 1978 .

Who's Who , ( 1979 , London )

The College Courant , Vol.24, No.48 ( 1972 , Glasgow )

The College Courant , Vol.30, No.61 ( 1978 , Glasgow )

From the guide to the Papers of Alexander John Haddow, 1912-1978, epidemiologist, Professor of Administrative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1971-1978, 1940-1978, (Glasgow University Archive Services)