James Gregory (physician)
Encyclopedia
James Gregory FRSE FRCPE (January 1753 – 2 April 1821) was a Scottish
physician and classicist.
(1724-1773) and Elizabeth Forbes (died 1761), and was born in Aberdeen
. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School
, King's College
, University of Aberdeen
, the University of Edinburgh
(MD 1774), the University of Oxford
, and Leyden University.
He accompanied his father to Edinburgh
in 1764, and after going through the usual course of literary studies at that university, he was for a short time a student at Christ Church, Oxford
. It was there probably that he acquired that taste for classical learning which afterwards distinguished him. He studied medicine at Edinburgh, and, after graduating doctor of medicine in 1774, spent the greater part of the next two years in Leiden, Paris, and in Italy.
.
On the illness of Dr William Cullen
in 1790 he was appointed joint-professor of the practice of medicine, and he became the head of the School of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh
on the death of Dr Cullen in the same year.
As a medical practitioner Gregory was for the last ten years of his life at the head of the profession in Scotland (for part of which time he was in partnership with Thomas Brown, M.D.
).
He was at one time president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
, but his indiscretion in publishing certain private proceedings of the college led to his suspension on the 13 May 1809 from all rights and privileges which pertained to the fellowship.
In 1796 he married Isabella Macleod (1772–1847). They had eleven children: John (1797–1869); Hugh (1799–1811); James Craufurd (1801–1832); William Gregory
(1803–1858) and his twin Donald Gregory
(1803–1836); Jane Macleod (1805–1813); Elizabeth Forbes (1808–1811); Margaret Craufurd/Crawford (1809–1849), who married her first cousin, William Pulteney Alison
(1790-1859); Georgina (1811–1877); Duncan Farquharson Gregory
(1813–1844); and Isabella (1816–1818).
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
physician and classicist.
Early life and education
He was the eldest son of John GregoryJohn Gregory (moralist)
John Gregory , a.k.a. John Gregorie, was an eighteenth-century Scottish physician, medical writer and moralist....
(1724-1773) and Elizabeth Forbes (died 1761), and was born in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School
Aberdeen Grammar School
Aberdeen Grammar School, known to students as The Grammar is a state secondary school in the City of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of twelve secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department...
, King's College
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
, University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(MD 1774), the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and Leyden University.
He accompanied his father to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1764, and after going through the usual course of literary studies at that university, he was for a short time a student at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. It was there probably that he acquired that taste for classical learning which afterwards distinguished him. He studied medicine at Edinburgh, and, after graduating doctor of medicine in 1774, spent the greater part of the next two years in Leiden, Paris, and in Italy.
Medicine in Edinburgh
Shortly after his return to Scotland he was appointed in 1776 to the chair his father had formerly held, and in the following year he also entered on the duties of teacher of clinical medicine in the Edinburgh Royal InfirmaryEdinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or RIE, sometimes mistakenly referred to as Edinburgh Royal Infirmary or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on...
.
On the illness of Dr William Cullen
William Cullen
William Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and one of the most important professors at the Edinburgh Medical School, during its heyday as the leading center of medical education in the English-speaking world.Cullen was also a central figure in the...
in 1790 he was appointed joint-professor of the practice of medicine, and he became the head of the School of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
on the death of Dr Cullen in the same year.
As a medical practitioner Gregory was for the last ten years of his life at the head of the profession in Scotland (for part of which time he was in partnership with Thomas Brown, M.D.
Thomas Brown (philosopher)
Thomas Brown FRSE was a Scottish metaphysician.He was born at Kirkmabreck, Kirkcudbright, where his father Rev. Samuel Brown was parish clergyman. He was a wide reader and an eager student...
).
He was at one time president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
, but his indiscretion in publishing certain private proceedings of the college led to his suspension on the 13 May 1809 from all rights and privileges which pertained to the fellowship.
Works
Besides his Conspectus medicinae theoreticae, published in 1788 as a text-book for his lectures on the institutes, Gregory was the author of "A Theory of the Moods of Verbs", published in the Edin. Phil. Trans. (1787), and of Literary and Philosophical Essays, published in two volumes in 1792.Marriages
He married twice. His first wife, Mary Ross, died in 1784. They had no children.In 1796 he married Isabella Macleod (1772–1847). They had eleven children: John (1797–1869); Hugh (1799–1811); James Craufurd (1801–1832); William Gregory
William Gregory (chemist)
William Gregory was a Scottish physician who is probably best known today for his work in chemistry. He studied under and translated some of the works of Liebig, the noted German chemist. Gregory also had interests in mesmerism and phrenology.- External links :...
(1803–1858) and his twin Donald Gregory
Donald Gregory
Donald Gregory was a Scottish historian and antiquarian, who published a valuable history of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland.-Origins:...
(1803–1836); Jane Macleod (1805–1813); Elizabeth Forbes (1808–1811); Margaret Craufurd/Crawford (1809–1849), who married her first cousin, William Pulteney Alison
William Pulteney Alison
William Pulteney Alison FRSE FRCPE FSA was a Scottish physician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was a distinguished professor of medicine at Edinburgh University...
(1790-1859); Georgina (1811–1877); Duncan Farquharson Gregory
Duncan Farquharson Gregory
Duncan Farquharson Gregory , a Scottish mathematician, was the youngest son of James Gregory and Isabella Macleod .-Education:...
(1813–1844); and Isabella (1816–1818).