William Smellie (obstetrician)
Encyclopedia
William Smellie was a Scottish obstetrician.
He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow
and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London
and Paris
, he opened a practice in London and began teaching. He invented a "machine", an obstetrical manikin, for instructions. Smellie described the mechanism of labor
, designed obstetrical forceps
, devised a maneuver to deliver the head of a breech
, and published his teachings. He is believed to have painted his own portrait.
The William Smellie Memorial Hospital which provided maternity services in Lanark
closed in the early 1990s and was re-located to a unit at the Law Hospital in Carluke
. This was also closed recently and maternity services moved to Wishaw General Hospital
.
It has been alleged that Smellie was involved with either murdering or showing a callous disregard for where his corpses came from (as well as his former pupil William Hunter
,and brother John Hunter). The supporting evidence for this theory includes the large number of pregnant corpses Hunter was able to obtain.
The tomb in which William Smellie (and later his wife) was buried still stands in the St. Kentigerns section of the state run Lanark graveyard.
He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he opened a practice in London and began teaching. He invented a "machine", an obstetrical manikin, for instructions. Smellie described the mechanism of labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
, designed obstetrical forceps
Forceps in childbirth
Forceps are a surgical instrument that resembles a pair of tongs and can be used in surgery for grabbing, maneuvering, or removing various things within or from the body...
, devised a maneuver to deliver the head of a breech
Breech birth
A breech birth is the birth of a baby from a breech presentation. In the breech presentation the baby enters the birth canal with the buttocks or feet first as opposed to the normal head first presentation....
, and published his teachings. He is believed to have painted his own portrait.
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
closed in the early 1990s and was re-located to a unit at the Law Hospital in Carluke
Carluke
The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....
. This was also closed recently and maternity services moved to Wishaw General Hospital
Wishaw General Hospital
Wishaw General Hospital is a district general hospital in the Craigneuk area of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire.-The Hospital:Wishaw General Hospital opened on 29 May 2001. It is a 633-bedded hospital, with the second-largest maternity unit in Scotland, delivering 5500 babies each year...
.
It has been alleged that Smellie was involved with either murdering or showing a callous disregard for where his corpses came from (as well as his former pupil William Hunter
William Hunter (anatomist)
William Hunter FRS was a Scottish anatomist and physician. He was a leading teacher of anatomy, and the outstanding obstetrician of his day...
,and brother John Hunter). The supporting evidence for this theory includes the large number of pregnant corpses Hunter was able to obtain.
The tomb in which William Smellie (and later his wife) was buried still stands in the St. Kentigerns section of the state run Lanark graveyard.
External links
- William Smellie: A sett of anatomical tables, with explanations, and an abridgment, of the practice of midwifery (London, 1749)]. Selected pages scanned from the original work. Historical Anatomies on the Web. US National Library of Medicine.