John Haven Coote FBPhS FRSB FRGS (5 January 1936 – 27 November 2017) [1] [2] was a British physiologist. He was the Bowman Professor of Physiology (1983–2003) then Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham. [3] [4] He was a Visiting Professor at University of Leicester [5] [6] and a Consultant in Applied Physiology, Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine.
He was a scientist interested in the autonomic control of the cardiovascular system with a special interest in exercise and high-altitude physiology, and was a keen mountain-climber.
John H. Coote was born in London, the son of a minister in the Pentecostal Church, who had an electrical engineering background. [7] He was evacuated during the second World War to South Wales where his mother's family were miners. After the cessation of hostilities Coote returned to London and attended Enfield Grammar school. [8] He won a place to read Medicine at University College London in 1954, and was called up for national service shortly afterwards. It was likely that he would have been able to defer time away from his studies, but on the advice of his father Coote chose to register as a pacifist and became a conscientious objector. [7] He was sentenced to three years agricultural and hospital work. In 1958 when Coote returned to Medicine, his passion for physiology developed leading to an intercalated BSc in 1962 and a PhD in 1964 under Charles B. B. Downman at the Royal Free Hospital. Although Coote briefly returned to his medical studies in 1964, the draw of research was too strong and he was appointed to a lectureship in 1967 in Birmingham.
University brought with it a passion for climbing, the University of London Graduate Mountaineering Club was in its infancy in the 1950s and the young John Coote was an early member. In the late 50s and 60s Coote climbed extensively in Britain and the European Alps, and he used this experience to lead outdoor activities with the Reverend Bob Shepton and the Cambridge University Mission. A thirst for exploration took him on expeditions to Morocco, Kenya, Greenland, and the Andes. [9] The early 1970s saw Coote barely survive an accident near the summit of Pico Bolivar that costs the lives of both his climbing companions [8] but it also brought with it marriage and children. Coote's passion in climbing and mountaineering started to overlap with his physiological interests in the 1980s and he undertook expeditions to Rupina La (Nepal), [10] Karakorum (Pakistan), [11] Cerro de Pasco (Peru) [8] and Everest (Nepal) [12] to study the effects of high altitude on human performance.
Coote was an autonomic physiology who maintained active hands on research for nearly 60yrs until his sudden death. He was particularly known for:
Coote was chairman of the Editorial Board of Experimental Physiology from 2000 to 2006, [14] and a Guest editor for Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical. [21]
Substantive posts include: [26]
High-impact publications (more than 100 citations) include:
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
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{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
John Haven Coote FBPhS FRSB FRGS (5 January 1936 – 27 November 2017) [1] [2] was a British physiologist. He was the Bowman Professor of Physiology (1983–2003) then Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham. [3] [4] He was a Visiting Professor at University of Leicester [5] [6] and a Consultant in Applied Physiology, Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine.
He was a scientist interested in the autonomic control of the cardiovascular system with a special interest in exercise and high-altitude physiology, and was a keen mountain-climber.
John H. Coote was born in London, the son of a minister in the Pentecostal Church, who had an electrical engineering background. [7] He was evacuated during the second World War to South Wales where his mother's family were miners. After the cessation of hostilities Coote returned to London and attended Enfield Grammar school. [8] He won a place to read Medicine at University College London in 1954, and was called up for national service shortly afterwards. It was likely that he would have been able to defer time away from his studies, but on the advice of his father Coote chose to register as a pacifist and became a conscientious objector. [7] He was sentenced to three years agricultural and hospital work. In 1958 when Coote returned to Medicine, his passion for physiology developed leading to an intercalated BSc in 1962 and a PhD in 1964 under Charles B. B. Downman at the Royal Free Hospital. Although Coote briefly returned to his medical studies in 1964, the draw of research was too strong and he was appointed to a lectureship in 1967 in Birmingham.
University brought with it a passion for climbing, the University of London Graduate Mountaineering Club was in its infancy in the 1950s and the young John Coote was an early member. In the late 50s and 60s Coote climbed extensively in Britain and the European Alps, and he used this experience to lead outdoor activities with the Reverend Bob Shepton and the Cambridge University Mission. A thirst for exploration took him on expeditions to Morocco, Kenya, Greenland, and the Andes. [9] The early 1970s saw Coote barely survive an accident near the summit of Pico Bolivar that costs the lives of both his climbing companions [8] but it also brought with it marriage and children. Coote's passion in climbing and mountaineering started to overlap with his physiological interests in the 1980s and he undertook expeditions to Rupina La (Nepal), [10] Karakorum (Pakistan), [11] Cerro de Pasco (Peru) [8] and Everest (Nepal) [12] to study the effects of high altitude on human performance.
Coote was an autonomic physiology who maintained active hands on research for nearly 60yrs until his sudden death. He was particularly known for:
Coote was chairman of the Editorial Board of Experimental Physiology from 2000 to 2006, [14] and a Guest editor for Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical. [21]
Substantive posts include: [26]
High-impact publications (more than 100 citations) include:
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)