Joan Beauchamp Procter (5 August 1897 – 20 September 1931) was a notable British zoologist, internationally recognised as an outstanding herpetologist. She worked initially at the British Museum (Natural History) and later for the Zoological Society of London, as the first female Curator of Reptiles at London Zoo. Her short life was afflicted by chronic ill-health, but she undertook substantial taxonomic work and made significant innovative contributions to veterinary practice and zoo displays. She also wrote scientific and popular zoological articles, including early accounts of the behaviour of captive Komodo dragons.
Early life
Joan Procter was born in London on 5 August 1897, at 11 Kensington Square, the daughter of Joseph Procter, a stockbroker, and Elizabeth Procter (née Brockbank), an artist. Her grandfather William Brockbank was a lover of art and also an amateur botanist and geologist. Family interests in the arts and sciences influenced both Joan and her sister Chrystabel Prudence Goldsmith Procter (1894–1982). The family homes had large gardens, which facilitated the sisters’ childhood pursuits in natural history. Christabel became Estate Manager at Bryanston School in Dorset and Garden Steward at Girton College, Cambridge.
While still at Norland Place School (1904–1908), Joan Procter developed a special interest in amphibians and reptiles. From the age of ten she kept several snakes and lizards as pets. She became familiar with all the British species of reptile. A large Dalmatian lizard was a special pet, which travelled everywhere with her and sat on the table beside her at mealtimes. She was a sickly child, but, as a twelve-year-old, she spent an active six months in Switzerland enjoying dancing, tobogganing, and botany. This was the only time when she was relatively free of the chronic intestinal illness that afflicted her throughout the rest of her life.
Her fascination with reptiles developed further during her time at St Paul's Girls' School, Hammersmith (1908–1916). When she was sixteen, she acquired a young crocodile as a pet and took it with her to school, resulting in consternation in a mathematics lesson. She was said to be a "brilliant" student, but her education was frequently interrupted because of chronic ill-health. Although she showed great promise, illness led to her abandoning the idea of going to Cambridge University.
The British Museum (Natural History) Joan Procter's enquiries about reptiles brought her to the attention of George Albert Boulenger, then Keeper of Reptiles and Fishes at the British Museum (Natural History) and he encouraged her interest. When she left school, Boulenger invited her to work under his direction and in 1916 she became his assistant, working at the museum in South Kensington in a voluntary capacity. Mentored by him, she was able to engage in academic zoology although she lacked university qualifications. At the age of nineteen, she presented her first scientific paper, on variations of a Central and South American species of pit viper, to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and in August 1917 she was elected as a Fellow of the Zoological Society (FZS). When Boulenger retired in 1920, she took sole charge of reptiles at the museum and received a small stipend for her work
Between 1917 and 1923 she conducted research and wrote a series of scientific papers on the anatomy, classification and habits of reptiles and amphibians. Notable amongst these is her study of an East African tortoise, now known as Malacochersus tornieri, which is able to conceal itself in rock crevices because of its flexible carapace. She corresponded widely, establishing her reputation with scientists around the world, and formally described many animals collected by others. In 1923, William Bateson sought her support for his critique of Paul Kammerer’s controversial work on the midwife toad (Alytes). Although Procter was "not averse to war with Kammerer", she believed there was insufficient material to assist Bateson on this issue. Much of her work at the museum entailed formally describing animals collected by others. She was elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS), in recognition of the high quality of this taxonomic work. She also became a member of the Bombay Natural History Society. Joan Procter was also an accomplished draughtswoman and modeller. At the museum, she made models for display cases and combined her artistic flair with scientific accuracy in a series of paintings of amphibians and reptiles that were reproduced in colour as postcards.