Davidson Black

Davidson Black (1884 - 1934) was a Canadian paleoanthropologist. He was Chairman of the Geological Survey of China. He was known as 步達生 in China.

Biography

Davidson Black was born in 1884, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When he was just a school boy, he would carry heavy loads of supplies for the Hudsons Bay Company. He also enjoyed collecting fossils.

Related Topics:
Toronto - Hudsons Bay Company

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He also became friends with First Nations people, in addition to learning one First Nations language.

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In 1906, Black gained a degree in Medical Science. He continued in School studying comparative anatomy. In 1909 he became an antomy instructor.

Related Topics:
Medical Science - Anatomy

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In 1914 he spent half a year working under neuroanatomist Grafton Elliot Smith. This began an interest in human evolution.

Related Topics:
Neuroanatomist - Grafton Elliot Smith - Human evolution

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In 1919, he went to Peking, China, in order to work at Peking Medical Union College. He enjoyed being able to work in Central Asia, where he hypothesized early humans lived.

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He planned on going on a search for human fossils in 1926, which the College disagreed with, thinking he should concentrate on his teaching obligations.

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In 1927, with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, he began searching for human fossils. He discovered a Homo erectus tooth, which he thought belonged to a new human species, named (by him) Sinanthropus pekinensis.

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In 1934, he died of heart problems at age 49.

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Unlike most Caucasians of his era, Davidson Black tolerated and respected his Chinese coworkers. In return, he was well liked by many of them, who put flowers on his graveey after his death.

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