{"id":3036,"date":"2024-03-29T18:50:48","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T18:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/?p=3036"},"modified":"2025-06-24T11:44:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:44:22","slug":"alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh","title":{"rendered":"Alexander Dickson: The Beloved Botanist of Edinburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Edinburgh&#8217;s scientists have become an important and valuable part of the global scientific community. Their achievements in various fields of science confirm their immense talent and potential. Alexander Dickson can rightly be considered one of the most outstanding scientific figures from Edinburgh, having made his mark in the field of botany. Find out more at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\">edinburghname<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4b6ba65232f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4b6ba65232f\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#Early_Years_and_Education\" >Early Years and Education<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#A_New_Chapter_in_His_Career\" >A New Chapter in His Career<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#The_Return_to_Edinburgh\" >The Return to Edinburgh<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#Recognition_from_Students\" >Recognition from Students<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#A_Prolific_Writer\" >A Prolific Writer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#Beyond_Science\" >Beyond Science<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#A_Darling_of_the_Public\" >A Darling of the Public<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/eternal-3036-alexander-dickson-the-beloved-botanist-of-edinburgh\/#A_Noble_End\" >A Noble End<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_Years_and_Education\"><\/span>Early Years and Education<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The future scientist was born on 21 February 1836 in Edinburgh. Alexander&#8217;s family was quite wealthy, so they could afford to provide their son with a home education. When his school years were behind him, it was time to choose an institution where he could continue his educational journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dickson ultimately settled on the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He found his studies extremely interesting and soon began to conduct his first scientific research. It gradually became clear that Alexander had great scientific potential, which shone through in the natural sciences, whereas the purely professional or technical sections of the medical curriculum held little interest for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_New_Chapter_in_His_Career\"><\/span>A New Chapter in His Career<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>August 1860 marked a milestone for the young scientist as he received his doctorate. His thesis was dedicated to the development of the flower and pistil in Caryophyllaceae. Two years later, Dickson began his teaching career. He started lecturing in botany at The University of Aberdeen, filling in for Professor George Dickie, who was experiencing health problems at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander&#8217;s teaching talent proved to be highly noticeable, so it was no surprise when, in 1866, he was offered a position in the Department of Botany at Trinity College, Dublin. Just two years after that, he took up the post of Professor at The University of Glasgow. This allowed him to definitively confirm his status as a scientist passionate about botany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Return_to_Edinburgh\"><\/span>The Return to Edinburgh<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dickson worked in Glasgow from 1866 to 1879. It is unknown how his career might have progressed further if, in 1879, the position of Professor of Botany had not become vacant at the University of Edinburgh. This event was the reason for Alexander&#8217;s return to his native city, as he was appointed to the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recognition_from_Students\"><\/span>Recognition from Students<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It should be noted that Dickson developed a very warm relationship with his students at the University of Edinburgh. The lecturer&#8217;s seriousness was combined with an eager desire to help his pupils with their research, as well as meticulous preparation for every lecture. The students particularly liked the instructive illustrations that almost always accompanied his classes. It is therefore no wonder that the students quickly grew attached to Alexander and began to hold him in enormous respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Prolific_Writer\"><\/span>A Prolific Writer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Dickson&#8217;s talent and activities were not limited to teaching. He was also the author of numerous scientific articles. His first work was published in 1857, while Alexander was still a student himself. But this publication marked the beginning of a new facet of Dickson&#8217;s talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the next 29 years, he managed to write over 50 articles. Most of them show that the author had a special interest in the developmental stage of plants. This is clearly seen in articles on subjects such as the morphology of the reproductive organs of the <strong>Coniferae<\/strong>, the embryo and its appendages in <strong>Tropaeolum<\/strong>, the embryology and development of the flower of <em>Pinguicula<\/em>, and the spiral arrangements of the cones of <em>Pinus pinaster<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beyond_Science\"><\/span>Beyond Science<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"1202\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-38.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-38.png 800w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-38-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-38-768x1154.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-38-696x1046.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It is worth noting that Dickson&#8217;s sharp mind was not solely occupied with scientific activities and work-related matters. The scientist was also very interested in state and church politics, and in both areas, he held exclusively conservative views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander remained a member of <strong>The Free Church of Scotland<\/strong> and repeatedly stated publicly that he was against any changes to its traditions, at a time when the state was thinking somewhat differently. Furthermore, Dickson did not support legislative attempts to change medical education and university teaching in Scotland to harmonise them with the systems prevalent in England. He believed these attempts to amend &#8220;educational legislation&#8221; were driven more by social, political, and selfish interests than by a desire to qualitatively reform the education system. This was a view he repeatedly voiced during his participation in numerous discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Darling_of_the_Public\"><\/span>A Darling of the Public<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, Dickson can be considered a man who lived life with gusto. Everything he did brought him genuine pleasure, and this could not go unnoticed by those in his social circle. As a result, Alexander enjoyed the status of a true darling of the public. Everyone who was fortunate enough to be in his company felt the warmth and excitement that the scientist generously bestowed upon those around him. In particular, Dickson loved to treat his friends to &#8220;concerts,&#8221; performing famous works by Bach and Beethoven on the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Noble_End\"><\/span>A Noble End<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"1202\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-39.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-39.png 800w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-39-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-39-768x1154.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.edinburghname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2025\/06\/image-1-39-696x1046.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On 30 December 1887, the earthly journey of the famous Edinburgh scientist came to an end. Despite being aware of his health problems, Alexander never admitted it to anyone. It seemed that the nobility and optimism in this man were simply inexhaustible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, an insidious illness claimed the life of the talented scientist. Yet his memory, like his numerous works, continues to live on, serving as a beacon for the younger generation of scientists to conquer new scientific peaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edinburgh&#8217;s scientists have become an important and valuable part of the global scientific community. Their achievements in various fields of science confirm their immense talent and potential. Alexander Dickson can rightly be considered one of the most outstanding scientific figures from Edinburgh, having made his mark in the field of botany. Find out more at\u00a0edinburghname. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":456,"featured_media":1836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[],"moimportance":[30,33],"motype":[325],"moformat":[517],"class_list":{"0":"post-3036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-developments","8":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","9":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","10":"motype-eternal","11":"moformat-c-l"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3036"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3043,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036\/revisions\/3043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3036"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=3036"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=3036"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburghname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=3036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}