John Ivor Murray
Encyclopedia
Dr John Ivor Murray was a Scottish surgeon who practised in China, Hong Kong and then in Sebastopol in the Crimean War. He was notably adventurous, travelling through Borneo
, collecting for the Natural History Museum in Edinburgh (now the National Museum of Scotland
), and serving on scientific expeditions to China.
, China, where he ran the hospital during a period of civil unrest in 1846.
Murray moved to Shanghai
, China where he ran a large practice with another pioneering physician, George Rogers Hall of Rhode Island
. Together, Murray and Hall opened a Seamen's Hospital with beds for twelve patients in Shanghai in 1852. Hall was as adventurous as Murray: Hall went on to collect the first ever shipment of Japanese plants to be sent to New England in 1861.
Murray then moved to Hong Kong
. In 1852 he paid for the first hospital for Europeans in Hong Kong. In the Crimean War
he travelled directly to Sebastopol
to work as a surgeon; he went on to assist in running the General Hospital at Balaclava
. He returned to Scotland in 1856 to take his M.D. degree at Edinburgh, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (F.R.C.S.) there. He was a notably effective Colonial Surgeon in Hong Kong from 1858 to 1872. During his time the death rate among the European population in Hong Kong fell from the alarmingly high rate of 7.52% (at which rate, half the population would die within 9 years) to 2.92% per year: the recorded reason is improved sanitation, though improved surgery and medicine may also have contributed.
Murray retired to the seaside town of Scarborough, England, becoming president of the British Balneological
and Climatological Society, which advocated the health benefits of bathing.
, longtime chief clerk to Bow Street Police Court
. He had nine children, four of them born in Hong Kong; at least two became doctors. He was a keen Freemason, becoming Junior Warden of the Grand Lodge
of the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire
, England.
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, collecting for the Natural History Museum in Edinburgh (now the National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the Royal Museum next door, with collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world...
), and serving on scientific expeditions to China.
Career
After studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Ivor Murray became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons (L.R.C.S.) in Edinburgh. Although he had won a commission as an army surgeon, as a prize in the military surgery class, there was no job available, so he travelled out to CantonGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China, where he ran the hospital during a period of civil unrest in 1846.
Murray moved to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China where he ran a large practice with another pioneering physician, George Rogers Hall of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Together, Murray and Hall opened a Seamen's Hospital with beds for twelve patients in Shanghai in 1852. Hall was as adventurous as Murray: Hall went on to collect the first ever shipment of Japanese plants to be sent to New England in 1861.
Murray then moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. In 1852 he paid for the first hospital for Europeans in Hong Kong. In the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he travelled directly to Sebastopol
Sebastopol
Sebastopol is a former spelling and frequent variant of Sevastopol, the port on the Crimean peninsula.Sebastopol may refer to the following:Places:* Sebastopol, California, USA* Sebastopol, Mississippi, USA...
to work as a surgeon; he went on to assist in running the General Hospital at Balaclava
Balaklava
Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
. He returned to Scotland in 1856 to take his M.D. degree at Edinburgh, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (F.R.C.S.) there. He was a notably effective Colonial Surgeon in Hong Kong from 1858 to 1872. During his time the death rate among the European population in Hong Kong fell from the alarmingly high rate of 7.52% (at which rate, half the population would die within 9 years) to 2.92% per year: the recorded reason is improved sanitation, though improved surgery and medicine may also have contributed.
Murray retired to the seaside town of Scarborough, England, becoming president of the British Balneological
Balneotherapy
Balneotherapy is the treatment of disease by bathing, usually practiced at spas. While it is considered distinct from hydrotherapy, there are some overlaps in practice and in underlying principles. Balneotherapy may involve hot or cold water, massage through moving water, relaxation or stimulation...
and Climatological Society, which advocated the health benefits of bathing.
Personal life
On 6 February 1861, Ivor Murray married Margaret Agnes Alexander (1841–1911), younger sister of John AlexanderJohn Alexander (chief clerk)
John Alexander was Chief Clerk to Bow Street Magistrates' Court, then called Bow Street Police Court , and simultaneously, as was then the custom, Editor of the Police Gazette in England from 1877 until his retirement in 1895.John Alexander was born in Wooler, Northumberland, son of country...
, longtime chief clerk to Bow Street Police Court
Bow Street Magistrates' Court
Bow Street Magistrates' Court was the most famous magistrates' court in England for much of its existence, and was located in various buildings on Bow Street in central London close to Covent Garden throughout its history.-History:...
. He had nine children, four of them born in Hong Kong; at least two became doctors. He was a keen Freemason, becoming Junior Warden of the Grand Lodge
Grand Lodge
A Grand Lodge, or "Grand Orient", is the usual governing body of "Craft", or "Blue Lodge", Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction. The first Masonic Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717 as the Premier Grand Lodge of England....
of the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England.