Australian-born American anatomist whose studies of the mammalian adrenal gland made him a pioneer in the chemistry of cells and tissues (histochemistry).

Bourne was educated at the University of Oxford (D.Sc., 1935; Ph.D., 1943), where he was a demonstrator in physiology from 1941 to 1947. From 1947 to 1957 he served as reader in histology at the University of London. He was chairman of the anatomy department at Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. (1957–62). He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1962. From 1962 to 1978 he served as director of the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, Atlanta. In 1978 he became the vice chancellor and professor of nutrition at St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies.

Using the mammalian adrenal gland, Bourne developed (1933) the first histochemical technique for demonstrating the presence of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in animal tissue. Later, he studied wound healing and the localization of enzymes in hard and soft tissues. Among his more important books are Structure and Function of Muscle (1962) and Biochemistry and Physiology of Bone (1956). His works on primatology include Ape People (1970), Primate Odyssey (1974), and The Gentle Giants: The Gorilla Story (1975).