    noel joseph terence montgomery needham, ch, frs, fba (; 9 december 1900 â 24 march 1995), also known as li yuese (), was a british scientist, historian and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of chinese science. he was elected a fellow of the royal society in 1941, and as a fellow of the british academy in 1971. in 1992, the queen conferred on him the companionship of honour and the royal society noted he was the only living person to hold these three titles. ==biography== ===early years=== needham was the only child of a london family. his father was a doctor and his mother, alicia adelaÃ¯de, nÃ©e montgomery (1863â1945), was a musical composer from oldcastle, co. meath, ireland. needham was educated at oundle school founded in 1556 in northamptonshire, before receiving his bachelor's degree in 1921 from the university of cambridge, master's degree in january 1925 and doctorate in october 1925. he had intended to study medicine but came under the influence of frederick gowland hopkins and switched to biochemistry. ===career=== after graduation, he worked in hopkins' laboratory at gonville and caius college, cambridge, specialising in embryology and morphogenesis. his three-volume work chemical embryology, published in 1931, includes a history of embryology from egyptian times up to the early 19th century, including quotations in most european languages. his silliman memorial lecture of 1936 was published by yale university under the title of order and life. in 1939 he produced a massive 
1900_births 1995_deaths Alumni_of_Gonville_and_Caius_College,_Cambridge British_biochemists British_expatriates_in_China British_science_writers British_sinologists British_socialists Fellows_of_Gonville_and_Caius_College,_Cambridge Fellows_of_the_British_Academy Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society Fukuoka_Asian_Culture_Prize_winners Historians_of_astronomy Historians_of_science Masters_of_Gonville_and_Caius_College,_Cambridge Members_of_the_Order_of_the_Companions_of_Honour People_educated_at_Oundle_School