Sir Alexander Taylor

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

MRIA (1802–18 May 1879) was a 19th-century Scottish physician and author. He attended to the wounded in both sides during the Franco-Prussian War, and wrote a book which promoted the healthful climate of Pau.

Early life and education

He was born in 1802 in Alton,

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, the son of William Taylor, a ship-owner. He studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, gaining his doctorate (MD) in 1825.

Medical career

In 1835 he served as Staff Surgeon to the English Auxiliary Force in Spain. In 1839 he settled in Pau in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

and lived and worked there for the rest of his life. In 1842 he published ''On the Curative Influence of the Climate of Pau, and the Mineral Waters of the Pyrenees, on Disease''. The book did much to promote the town as a tourist destination. The climate was said to combat "Winter Depression" and respiratory disease and was first aimed at English-speaking countries, then translated into several European languages. Visitors coming as a result of his encouragement included

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

. In 1846 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposer was

John Argyll Robertson Dr John Argyll Robertson FRSE PRCSE (12 August 1800 – 7 January 1855) was a Scottish surgeon who specialised in ophthalmic surgery and became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1848. Early life John Argyll Robertson w ...

. He was knighted by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in 1865. In 1870 he did much to relieve the injured in Pau during the Franco-Prussian War. In this he aided the injured on both sides of the conflict.

Later life, death and legacy

After the death of his wife Julia in June 1878, he lived in a boarding house on Rue Montpensier in Pau. On

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

1878 a stained glass window was erected by him to the memory of his wife in the Protestant Church on Rue Serviez in Pau. He died on 18 May 1879 at 5 Cayton Crescent in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

during a visit to relatives in London. His body was returned to Pau and he was buried next to his wife in the municipal cemetery in the town. Rue Alexander Taylor in Pau is named in his honour.Pau: Street Guide

Publications

*''iarchive:b2928840x/page/n9/mode/2up, On the Curative Influence of the Climate of Pau, and the Mineral Waters of the Pyrenees, on Disease; with Descriptive Notices of the geology, botany, natural history, mountain sports, local antiquities, and topography of the Pyrenees''

References

1802 births 1879 deaths People from Ayrshire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to France Scottish surgeons {{Scotland-med-bio-stub