Davidson Sylvester Hector Willoughby Nicol CMG, also known as Abioseh Nicol, was a prominent Sierra Leone Creole physician, diplomat, and writer. A pioneer in diabetes research, Nicol’s discoveries on insulin breakdown revolutionized the field. He held degrees in the arts, sciences, and commercial disciplines, making substantial contributions to science, history, and literature. Notably, Nicol was the first black African to graduate with first-class honours from the University of Cambridge and to be elected a fellow of a Cambridge college.
Early Life Born on 14 September 1924 in Bathurst, Sierra Leone, to Jonathan Josibiah Nicol and Winifred Clarissa Regina Willoughby, Davidson Nicol’s early years were marked by academic excellence. He taught at the Prince of Wales School in Freetown and earned a BA in natural science from Christ’s College, Cambridge University, on a scholarship, becoming the first black African to graduate with first-class honours. Nicol further pursued a medical degree at London Hospital Medical College. In 1950, he married Marjorie Johnston of Trinidad and had five children.
Career Highlights In the 1950s, Nicol taught at Ibadan University medical school, focusing on malnutrition research, before returning to Cambridge to study insulin under renowned scientist Frederick Sanger. He became the first black African Fellow of Christ’s College in 1957. Nicol authored pivotal works, ‘The Mechanism of Action of Insulin’ and ‘The Structure of Human Insulin’ in 1960. Upon his return to Freetown in 1958, Nicol served the Sierra Leonean government as a pathologist.
