John Scott Haldane. John Scott Haldane (1860- 1936), British physiologist. Born and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was later made reader in physiology at Oxford University, England. Haldane sought to apply the results of his research to the solution of industrial problems. In 1921, he became director of the Mining Resear- ch Laboratory. He recommended the use of mice in coalmines that would react to carbon monoxide poisoning in time to alert the miners of the danger. He discovered that breathing is regulated by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the bra- in. Often the subject for his experiments was his son, J.B.S Haldane who became a leading biologist.