William Bateson FRS (1861-1926), geneticist

William Bateson became the first Director of the John Innes in 1910. He pioneered in Britain the science of genetics and coined the word "genetics". He was very much involved in the controversy that followed the rediscovery of Mendel's papers on plant hybridisation and gathered around him a group of enthusiastic young scientists to tackle the many problems of inheritance in plants.

The John Innes collection of Batesoniana, which is the largest in the world, comprises some 10,000 items. Bateson's voluminous correspondence bears witness to the great influence he had on the development of biological science particularly studies of heredity.

Variety & Variation

The painting below produced by artist Leonie Woolhouse illustrates the scientific career of William Bateson. It is possible to 'zoom' in and around the image via your mouse or the controls at the bottom of the image.

Reproduced from an original painting by Leonie Woolhouse