Robert Broom

Prof. Robert Broom, M. D. (November 30, 1866 - April 6, 1951), born in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland, was a South African physician and paleontologist. He received his Masters Degree in 1895 from the University of Glasgow.

Broom was first known for his study of mammal-like reptiles. After Raymond Dart's discovery of the Taung child , an infant australopithecine, Broom's interest in paleoanthropology was heightened. In 1934 Broom joined the staff of the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria.

In the following years, he made a series of spectacular finds, including fragments from six hominids in Sterkfontein, later classified as an adult australopithecine, as well as more discoveries at sites in Kromdraai and Swartkrans. In 1937, Broom made his most famous discovery--an Australopithecus robustus. These discoveries helped support Dart's claims for the Taung species. The remainder of Broom's career was devoted to the exploration of these sites and the interpretation of the many early hominid remains discovered there.

Curriculum vitae

- birth: 1866 in Paisley
- education: doctor specializing in midwifery at Glasgow university
- 1892 travel to Australia
- 1895 Masters Degree at Glasgow university
- 1897 settlement in South Africa
- 1903-1910 professor of geology and zoology at Victoria College Stellenbosch
- 1910-1934 practised medicine in Karroo region South Africa
- 1920 fellow of Royal Society
- 1934 joined staff of Transvaal Museum Pretoria
- 1936 discovered fragments from australopithecines in Sterkfontein
- 1937 discovered Australopithecus robustus
- 1938 discovered australopithecines in Kromdraai
- 1948 discovered australopithecines and Homo erectus in Swartkrans
- death: 1951 in South Africa