Davidson Black
Davidson Black was a Canadian anatomist and paleontologist born on July 25, 1884, in Toronto. He developed an early interest in cultures while working for the Hudson's Bay Company, where he learned about First Nations tribes and their languages. Black studied medicine at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1906, and later transitioned to anatomy, eventually becoming a professor. His academic career took him to Case Western Reserve University, and during World War I, he served as a medic in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps.
In 1919, Black moved to China to teach at Peking Union Medical College, where he focused on human evolution, proposing that humans originated in Central Asia. His significant contribution came with the discovery of "Peking Man," a term he coined for fossilized human remains found near Beijing, which he initially classified as a new genus, Sinanthropus pekinensis. While his claims faced skepticism from the scientific community, subsequent discoveries lent support to his work, and "Peking Man" is now classified under the species Homo erectus. Black's dedication to his research continued until his untimely death from a heart attack in March 1934 at the age of 49.
Subject Terms
Davidson Black
Paleoanthropologist
- Born: July 25, 1884
- Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
- Died: March 15, 1934
- Place of death: Beijing, China
Contribution: Davidson Black was a Canadian paleoanthropologist who discovered the fossilized remains of ancient humans in China, which he named “Peking Man,” or Sinanthropus pekinensis. Although Black’s assertion that “Peking Man” represented a new genus of humans was eventually disproven, his findings laid the groundwork for furthering the study of human evolution.
Early Life and Education
Davidson Black was born July 25, 1884, in Toronto. Black expressed an early curiosity in learning about other cultures. As a teenager, he worked as a canoeist for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and his work brought him into contact with several First Nations tribes. He showed a keen interest in their culture and way of life, eventually learning a variety of different languages to better communicate with his new acquaintances.
Black attended the University of Toronto, where he studied medicine. He graduated in 1906, and then turned his attention to anatomy. In 1909, he received a master’s degree and began his career as a professor.
Early Career
After completing his master’s degree, Black accepted a position with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. During a sabbatical in 1914, he went to England and studied with renowned anatomist Grafton Elliot Smith. Inspired by Smith’s work, Black became interested in the origins of man and focused his attention on the idea that humans evolved in the region of Central Asia.
He taught anatomy at Case Western Reserve until 1917, when he joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. As a medic, Black tended to wounded soldiers returning from the battlefields of World War I. Once his military service was complete, he relocated to China.
“Peking Man”
In 1919, Black accepted a teaching position at Peking Union Medical College, where he headed the anatomy department. Much to the consternation of the university, he continued his studies of early man—further exploring his hypothesis that humans began evolving in central Asia—while balancing his career as a professor. In 1926, he was in the process of making a voyage to central Asia when two fossilized human teeth were discovered near Peking.
A year later, with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, Black spearheaded an excavation of the site where the human teeth were discovered. Another tooth was eventually found in the area, and Black used this as proof of an undiscovered genus of early man. The teeth, Black asserted, came from an early descendant of humans known as Sinanthropus pekinensis, or “Peking Man.” According to Black, this species of humans dated from the onset of the Ice Age.
The discovery of “Peking Man” was met with some criticism from the scientific community. Many asserted that the discovery of three teeth was not enough to justify the existence of an entirely new genus. To support his position, Black traveled the world to present his findings. When a nearly intact skull was unearthed in 1929, it gave credence to Black’s assertions, and his claims were more readily accepted.
In the following years, scientists further examined Black’s conclusions. They eventually deduced that while the discovery of Peking Man was important, it did not denote the existence of a new genus. Instead, Black’s findings were categorized as part of the Homo erectus species.
Personal Life and Death
Black was known as a tireless worker and a good friend to his colleagues. Though born with a heart defect, he did not let that stop him from putting in long hours in the office and out in the field. Black died of a heart attack in March 1934 at the age of forty-nine.
Bibliography
Bell, Rachael. “Dragon Bones: The Mystery of the Peking Man.” TruTv.com. Turner Entertainment Networks, n.d. Web. 8 Aug. 2013.
Boaz, Noel T., and Russell L. Ciochon. “Scavenging of ‘Peking Man.’” Natural History 110.2 (Mar. 2001): 46–52. Print.
Hart, David Bentley. “The Back Page.” First Things: A Monthly Jour. Of Religion & Public Life 232 (Apr. 2013): 71–72. Print.
Hood, Dora. Davidson Black: A Biography. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1964. Print.
“Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian.” UNESCO.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.