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Louis Robinson

Louis Robinson is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Louis Robinson rather than just read about it. In short: Louis Robinson (1857–1928) was an English physician, paediatrician and author. An ardent evolutionist, he helped pioneer modern child medicine during the later Victorian era, writing prolifically in journals on the emerging science of paediatrics.

Louis Robinson — main illustration
Louis Robinson — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Louis Robinson belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Louis Robinson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Louis Robinson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Louis Robinson (1857–1928) was an English physician, paediatrician and author. An ardent evolutionist, he helped pioneer modern child medicine during the later Victorian era, writing prolifically in journals on the emerging science of paediatrics. Active in scientific debate, Robinson was critiqued in some parts of the press for his outspoken evolutionary views in the wider debate between scientific theories of human origin and the religious view.

Early life Born 8 August 1857 to a Quaker family in Saddlescombe near Brighton, Sussex, Robinson was educated at Quaker schools in Ackworth and York. His younger sister was the English novelist Maude Robinson. He went on to study medicine in London (at St Bartholomew's Hospital) and Newcastle upon Tyne, before graduating top of his class in 1889. He was married the previous year to Edith Aline Craddock, with whom he went on to have four children.

Medical career

Drawing on his extensive research, Robinson's interest in evolution was expressed in a series of articles, which led to an appearance before the British Association at Edinburgh to present his paper "The Prehensile Power of Infants". A keen practitioner as well as theorist, Robinson was one of the first doctors of his era to conduct experiments with young babies, testing over sixty subjects immediately after birth on their power of grip. This echoed the approach of the pioneering German physician Adolph Kussmaul.

Later years Following a series of lectures at Oxford on vestigial reflexes, he was sought after to teach in both British and American universities, and increasingly noticed by prominent scientists like Huxley, Burdon-Sanderson and Flower. However, Robinson opted to focus on his work as a doctor in Streatham. Nonetheless, he continued his research, employing several assistants, and leading to his publication of a volume on evolution that focused on animal behaviour. He died as a result of an accidental gunshot wound in Folkestone, Kent on 5 February 1928 aged 70.

See also Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Charles Darwin Thomas Henry Huxley

References

Illustrations

Louis Robinson: Louis Robinson, circa 1897.
Louis Robinson, circa 1897.
Louis Robinson: Saddlescombe Farm, where Louis Robinson grew up
Saddlescombe Farm, where Louis Robinson grew up

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Louis Robinson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Louis Robinson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Louis Robinson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Louis Robinson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Louis Robinson

In research
Louis Robinson appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Louis Robinson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Louis Robinson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1857 births, 1928 deaths, 19th-century English medical doctors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Louis Robinson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Louis Robinson in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Louis Robinson means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Louis Robinson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Louis Robinson in simple terms?

Louis Robinson (1857–1928) was an English physician, paediatrician and author. An ardent evolutionist, he helped pioneer modern child medicine during the later Victorian era, writing prolifically in journals on the emerging science of paediatrics.

Why does Louis Robinson matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Louis Robinson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Louis Robinson.

Tags

  • 1857 births
  • 1928 deaths
  • 19th-century English medical doctors
  • British paediatricians
  • Ethologists
  • People from Newtimber

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