The Nestor of Insect Physiologists, Sir Vincent Wigglesworth

Karel Sláma, European Journal of Entomology 91: 255-256 (1994) 

Vincent Wigglesworth was world's greatest insect physiologist and one of the most productive biological scientists of the century. His name is known to most students of invertebrate physiology by his comprehensive textbook Principles of Insect Physiology (1939), which has been updated in seven editions.    

    In 1926 Wigglesworth started his scientific work investigating some medically important insects, mainly the bug Rhodnius prolixus, vector of Chagas's disease in London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Later on, in 1945 he moved to Cambridge as Reader in Insect Physiology. He continued in his experimental work on Rhodnius, with numerous discoveries in the field of insect morphology, physiology and endocrinology. Due to these findings the species became famous among entomologists as the "Wigglesworth's bug". The greatest scientific achievement of VBW was elucidation of the role of corpus allatum and juvenile hormone in insect growth, development and reproduction (1936). The results of his transplantation, implantation and parabiosis experiments in Rhodnius became the classic of whole  invertebrate endocrinology. Some older books of Wigglesworth on insect hormone action, The Physiology of Insect Metamorphosis (1954) or Insect Hormones (1970) are still frequently used as a valuable guide and exciting source of information. The bibliography contains over 300 original scientific papers, on which he was mostly working alone, only a few papers were under joint authorship. Insect endocrinology of other countries has been deeply influenced or directly originated from the work of Wigglesworth. The studies of insect hormones in Czech republic have also their roots in his laboratory in Cambridge. Dr.V.J.A. Novák, who spent a year with Wigglesworth in 1948, brough some of his remarkable gifts for experimentation back home into this country.

    First time we met Prof. Wigglesworth at the occasion of insect hormone conference in Prague, 1959. He was a gentle, reserved, formal person with a wry sense of humour. His interpretation of scientific facts was strictly analytical, always very reasonable, based on a wide general knowledge. The miracle of his person is that during the past three and half decade he remained actively working, with the same enthusiasm, innovative spirit and humour, while most of us passed through the whole rise and fall of our scientific careers. When the synthetic analogues of juvenile hormone became available at the early 60'es, it was again VBW who immediately elaborated the best methods for their evaluation in Rhodnius. The best illustration of the scientific potential of VBW may be the fact that he shocked professionals working in insect respiration by a series of recent innovative papers on functions of aeriferous tracheae. The papers were written when he was over 90. The last time I met Sir Vincent in his room in Caius College, Cambridge, April 1992 (photograph). We have discussed very special scientific details of insect hormone action. Wigglesworth is among a few people who have a credit of creating and advancing some discipline of science. He is the Father of Insect Physiology.

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Vincent Brian Wigglesworth, entomologist: born Kirkham, Lancashire 17 April 1899; Lecturer in Medical Entomology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 1926-45; Reader in Entomology, London University 1936-44; FRS 1939; Director, ARC Unit of Insect Physiology 1943-67; Reader in Entomology, Cambridge University 1945-1952; Quick Professor of Biology 1952-66; CBE 1951; Knight 1964; married 1928 Katherine Semple (died 1986; three sons, one daughter); died Cambridge , 11 February 1994.          

Wigglesworth, Sir Vincent B. [1899-1994]   

Sir Vincent is just about everyone’s favorite insect physiologist especially since he did us the favor of writing and rewriting the first comprehensive textbook in the field, Principles of Insect Physiology. He was a pioneer in insect development, making Rhodnius prolixus, famous as experimental insect that he used to demonstrate juvenile hormone influences amongst other things. He and Carroll Williams used parabiosis in imaginative ways to show developmental principles. The book Insect Biology in the Future or VBW 80 was dedicated to Sir Vincent at his 80^th birthday. The list of contributors is a cross-section of well-known insect physiologists all of whom were influence by Professor Wigglesworth one way or another. The book also listed 234 research publications and 17 books that the grand master produced through 1979. Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was that he continued to publish work following this event. My campus biosis search showed this entry:

Wigglesworth, V. B. (1991). The distribution of aeriferous tracheae for the ovaries of insects. Tissue & Cell. 23(1): 57-66.

Abstract

Examination of the tracheal supply to the ovaries in insects selected from nine orders shows that the main trachae are always of the aeriferous type: characterized by a coating of spiral tubules with permeable cuticle which bring the tracheal air into close contact with the haemolymph. The structure of these tracheae is constant, from large tracheae exceeding 50 µm in diameter to small vessels with diameter a small fraction of 1 µm. On the other hand there is a great diversity in the methods by which oxygen is delivered to the individual oocytes, some of which are briefly defined. 

This paper is single authored in a top journal and follows up Sir Vincent’s other interest, the tracheal system in insects. He is well-known for demonstrating air use in tracheoles (see figures 233 and 234 on page 368 of the classic Principles of Insect Physiology, 7^th edition for a description of spiracular function and the tracheal system in the flea, Xenopsylla). Therefore, the most inspirational aspect of Sir Vincent’s career is the fact that it never ended. He had to be in or close to his 90s when producing the paper mentioned above. That might be a good example of persistence, but it certainly is inspirational.

John S. Edwards memoriam: http://www.ijdb.ehu.es/fulltext.9803/ft471.pdf

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