Davidson Black

Davidson Black

Davidson Black, anatomist, anthropologist (b at Toronto, Ont 25 July 1884; d at Beijing [Peking], China 15 Mar 1934). Professor and head of the Department of Anatomy, and honorary co-director of the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of Peking Union Medical College, Black identified a new species of ancient human, Sinanthropus pekinensis, from fossils found at Chou Kou Tien (Zhoukoudian) near Peking. His research on "Peking Man" formed the basis for contemporary knowledge about Homo erectus, an evolutionary ancestor of modern humans.

Internationally acclaimed for his work, Black also published extensively on more recent ancestral human groups in China and on modern anatomy and neuroanatomy. He was little recognized in Canada during his lifetime, but is now honoured by a commemorative plaque at the University of Toronto, his alma mater.