Parker, William Kitchen, 1823-1890

William Kitchen Parker was born on June 23, 1823, in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England.

He was an English physician, zoologist, and comparative anatomist. Growing up on a farm, he was a true lover of nature. Village schooling at Dogsthorpe and Peterborough Grammar School prepared him for an apprenticeship, at the age of 15, to a chemist and druggist at Stamford and later to a medical practitioner. In 1844–1846, he studied at King's College, London. He also attended Charing Cross Hospital in 1846-1847, and, having qualified as L.S.A. (Licenciate of the Society of Apothecaries), he commenced general practice in 1849. In 1873, he became Hunterian Professor of Anatomy and Physiology in the College of Surgeons of England. There are many indications that Parker found writing difficult (possible dyslexia) and dictated his notes to his secretary. He published the book "The Morphology of the Skull" (1877) with G.T. Bettany. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1865 and awarded the Royal Medal in 1866. He was President of the Royal Microscopical Society (1871-1873), and, in 1885, he received the Baly Medal of the Royal College of Physicians.

In 1850, he married Elizabeth Jeffery (1825–1900). He died on July 3, 1890, in Cardiff, Wales.