b. 25 July 1884, Toronto, Ontario-d. 15 Mar 1934, Beijing, China
Prof. & Head, Dept. of Anatomy, co-director of Cenozoic Rsch. Lab.
Peking Medical Union College
Davidson Black became a professor of anatomy and anthropology. While head of the dept. of anatomy and honorary co-director of the Cenozoic Research Lab of Peking Medical Union College, Black identified a new species of ancient human, Sinanthropus pekinensis, from fossils found at Chou Kou Tien (Zhoukoudian) near Beijing. His research on "Peking Man" became the basis for contemporary knowledge about human evolution. He died in Beijing (Peking).
MD, U of T, 1906; staff, Western Reserve U., Cleveland 1909-16; professor of neurology at Peking Medical Union College, 1918; professor of anatomy, 1921; Honorary fellow, Royal Anthropological Institute, 1931; FRS (London), 1932; internationally acclaimed, he also published extensively on more recent prehistoric human groups in China and on modern anatomy and neuroanatomy. Little honored in Canada during his lifetime, there is now a commemorative plaque at U of T.
Sources: The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1988; Encyclopedia of Canadiana
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