Swale Vincent

Thomas Swale Vincent (24 May 1868 – 31 December 1933) was a British physiologist who spent most of his working life in Canada.

Early years

Thomas Swale Vincent was born in Birmingham on 24 May 1868, the son of Joseph Vincent and his wife, Margaret Swale.

He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Birmingham,

In 1904, Vincent was appointed the first professor of physiology at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Here, he oversaw the research of biochemist Alexander Thomas Cameron, and was influential in fostering Cameron's interest in endocrinology. In 1910, Vincent was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, William Cramer, James Cossar Ewart and Orlando Charnock Bradley. Vincent remained at Manitoba until 1920, when he returned to London to become professor of physiology at Middlesex Hospital. He retired from this post in 1930.

Personal life In 1914, he married Beatrice Overton, daughter of Mr. W. Overton, and had two daughters; all three survived him. Vincent's shyness sometimes gave an impression of brusqueness, but friends knew him as a "staunch friend and a charming companion." Vincent, who practised as a pianist, also had a deep love of music.

Attitudes

Vincent's research on endocrinology earned him a strong international reputation in his field. He was known for his "highly critical and sceptical mind," and was described by colleague William Cramer as "a man of firm principles and high ideals on which he would not compromise."