Sir James McGrigor, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir James McGrigor, 1st Baronet (1771-1858) was a Scottish physician and considered to be the man largely responsible for the creation of the Royal Army Medical Corps
. He served as Rector of the University of Aberdeen
.
, Inverness-shire
, and educated at Aberdeen Grammar School
and the University of Aberdeen
. He received medical training at the University of Edinburgh
.
, in Flanders, the West Indies and India. In 1811, he was appointed Surgeon-General
for the Duke of Wellington's army in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular Wars (1808-14).
McGrigor returned to Britain before the Battle of Waterloo
, and was knighted (1814). He went on to serve as Director-General of the Army Medical Service (1815-51) and did much to reform that department. He introduced the stethoscope
in 1821, set up field hospitals for those injured in action, and generally improved the standards of cleanliness and hygiene. His autobiography was published in 1861. An obelisk to his memory has been placed in Aberdeen and is now in Duthie Park
.
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
. He served as Rector of the University of Aberdeen
Rector of the University of Aberdeen
The Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen is the students' representative and chairman in the University Court of the University of Aberdeen. The position is rarely known by its full title and most often referred to simply as "Rector". The Rector is elected by students of the University and...
.
Early life
The son of a clothing merchant, he was born in CromdaleCromdale
Cromdale is a village in Highland, Scotland and one of the ancient parishes which formed the combined ecclesiastical parish of "Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie" in Morayshire....
, Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
, and 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...
and the 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...
. He received medical training 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...
.
Army surgeon
He joined the army as a surgeon in 1793 and saw service with an Irish regiment, the 88th Regiment of Foot88th Regiment of Foot
Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 88th Regiment of Foot:* 88th Regiment of Foot , also known as "Campbell's Regiment"* 88th Regiment of Foot...
, in Flanders, the West Indies and India. In 1811, he was appointed Surgeon-General
Surgeon-General (United Kingdom)
The Surgeon-General is the senior medical officer of the British Armed Forces; the post is held by the senior of the three individual service medical directors....
for the Duke of Wellington's army in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular Wars (1808-14).
McGrigor returned to Britain before the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, and was knighted (1814). He went on to serve as Director-General of the Army Medical Service (1815-51) and did much to reform that department. He introduced the stethoscope
Stethoscope
The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal body. It is often used to listen to lung and heart sounds. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins...
in 1821, set up field hospitals for those injured in action, and generally improved the standards of cleanliness and hygiene. His autobiography was published in 1861. An obelisk to his memory has been placed in Aberdeen and is now in Duthie Park
Duthie Park
Duthie park, situated in Aberdeen, Scotland, by the banks of the River Dee, comprises of land gifted to the council in 1881 by Lady Elizabeth Duthie of Ruthrieston, in memory of her uncle and of her brother...
.
Further reading
- Blanco, Richard L. Wellington's Surgeon General; Sir James McGrigor. Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 1974, 8vo., pp. xiv.
- McGrigor, Sir James (ed. Mary McGrigor). The Scalpel and the Sword: Sir James McGrigor: The Autobiography of the Father of Army Medicine edited by Mary McGrigor. Dalkeith Scottish Cultural Press, 2000. See review by Martin Howard