Nationality United States Fields Immunologist | Name William Boyd Known for Blood type, Lectin | |
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Institutions Boston University School of Medicine (1926-1968) Alma mater Harvard University (1925)
Boston University (Ph.D. 1930) Died February 19, 1983, Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States Books Races and people, Fundamentals of immunology Education Boston University (1930), Harvard University Awards Guggenheim Fellowship for Natural Sciences, US & Canada | ||
William Clouser Boyd (March 4, 1903 - February 19, 1983) was an American immunochemist. In the 1930s, with his wife Lyle, he made a worldwide survey of the distribution of blood types.
Biography
Born in Dearborn, Missouri, Boyd was educated at Harvard and Boston University. His career led to appointment as Professor of Immunochemistry at Boston University.
Boyd's signal contribution was to discover that human blood groups are inherited and not influenced by environment. By genetic analysis of blood groups he hypothesized that human races are populations that differ by alleles. On that basis, he divided the world population into 13 geographically distinct races with different blood group gene profiles. In 1955, Boyd co-published the book Races and People with Isaac Asimov; they were both then professors at Boston University School of Medicine.
Later, Boyd coined the term 'lectin'. He also studied the blood groups of mummies.
Boyd also wrote and published several science fiction short stories in collaboration with Lyle G. Boyd under the name "Boyd Ellanbee" (obviously standing for "Boyd, L and B", for Lyle and Bill).
Boyd's papers were donated to the National Library of Medicine by Mrs. Cassandra Boyd in 1983.