Stress takes its toll on Davidson’s health

The denied promotion, the misrepresentation and minimization of his academic contributions, and the demands of coursework while providing for his family all took a toll on Davidson’s health. In 1909, he came down with pneumonia. While recovering the following spring, he contracted influenza, which left him prone to colds. When Davidson recovered from these health problems, his doctor advised him to leave the “rigorous climate” of Aberdeen for Australia or “some such country with a more equable climate than the North of Scotland.”

In his search for a healthier climate, Davidson contacted the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (just outside of London), asking about the plants in British Columbia. He hoped to deduce BC’s climate through its flora. Kew Gardens, however, had very little recorded for the province.

Davidson’s sister in Vancouver had previously sent him news that a provincial university was likely to be created there in the near future. The prospect of a new university and the fact that so little was known of British Columbia botany appealed to Davidson. He hoped that the province would be receptive to his skills and that a formalized academic culture would not restrain him.

Davidson and his brother-in-law, James Middleton, booked passage to Vancouver on January 14, 1911, the day Davidson’s son, John Fraser, was born. The two men boarded a ship to Halifax on April 2, 1911, and arrived in Vancouver on April 16.