Blue plaque unveiled in Dublin to celebrate Irish physiologist Gerald Francis Yeo

The Physiological Society was delighted to unveil a blue plaque to celebrate the legacy of Irish physiologist Gerald Francis Yeo (1845 -1909). Yeo was one of 19 physiologists who gathered at the house of John Burdon on March 1876 to form The Physiological Society for ‘promoting the advancement of physiology and facilitating the intercourse between physiologists’. Yeo was the Secretary of The Society until 1889 and campaigned for the value of in vivo research in response to Victorian anti-vivisection campaigns.

The plaque is positioned at Tercentenary Hall at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, where Yeo first graduated in Natural Sciences in 1866 before honing his medical and surgical skills. He spent a few years studying in Europe and went onto complete his medical degree at University of Dublin, Ireland, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. It was then that Yeo returned to Trinity College, Dublin acting as Demonstrator of Anatomy.

In 1868 he gained the gold medal of the Dublin Pathological Society for an essay on renal disease. He went onto teach physiology in the Carmichael School of Medicine in Dublin, Ireland, from 1872-1874. In 1875, he was appointed Professor of Physiology at King’s College London, UK and a couple of years later became Assistant Surgeon at King’s College Hospital.

While at King’s College London, Yeo worked with Sir David Ferrier, a Professor of Neuropathology, and together they helped advance brain surgery by studying cerebral localisation in monkeys. The experiments were performed using the antiseptic measures developed by Joseph Lister.

The plaque was unveiled by Professor Michael Gill, Head of School of Medicine, Trinity Institute of Neurosciences, Dublin, Ireland, who said:

“Trinity College Dublin is proud to have been the launching pad for the impressive scientific career of Gerald Francis Yeo. His enthusiasm for experimental science and his dedication to the discipline of physiology made great inroads into our understanding of how the brain works.”

Professor David Paterson, President of the Physiological Society, said:

“We are honoured to be in Dublin to unveil this plaque in the memory of Gerald Francis Yeo. This is the eleventh unveiling in The Physiological Society’s Blue Plaque scheme which is intended to raise the visibility of physiology and give the wider public an insight into the positive role that ‘the science of life’ plays in their everyday lives. We hope that these plaques will spark curiosity and help inspire new generations to get involved in the physiological sciences.”

During the year, The Physiological Society will be unveiling blue plaques at institutions across the UK and Ireland, celebrating and recognising institutions where distinguished physiologists who have made significant contributions to the discipline.

The plaques provide long-term recognition of the impact these scientists and their science has had, and by extension these plaques provide a marker of excellence for the universities that they adorn.

Unveiling a blue plaque dedicated to physiologist Gerald Francis Yeo (at Tercentenary Hall, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute) 23.6.22 Paul Sharp Photographer.