Andrew Duncan, the elder (17 October 1744 – 5 July 1828)
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 ...
FRCPE
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
FSA (Scot)
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
The usua ...
was a Scottish physician and professor 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 ...
. He was joint founder 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 ...
.
Life
Duncan was the second son of Andrew Duncan, merchant and shipmaster, of
Crail
Crail (); gd, Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.
The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018).
Etymology
The name ''C ...
, afterwards of St Andrews, his mother being a daughter of Professor William Vilant, and related to the Drummonds of
Hawthornden
Wangsa Maju is a township and a constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This area is surrounded by Setapak, Taman Melati and Gombak district in Selangor. Wangsa Maju is one of the largest townships in Kuala Lumpur and consists of many sections ...
. He was born at Pinkerton, near
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, on 17 October 1744, and was educated first by Sandy Don of
Crail
Crail (); gd, Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.
The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018).
Etymology
The name ''C ...
, and afterwards by Richard Dick of St Andrews.
Duncan proceeded next to
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, where he obtained the M.A. degree in 1762. As a youth he was known as "the smiling boy", and his character for good nature was retained through life. Lord Erskine and his brother
Henry Erskine were among his school fellows and fast friends through life. In 1762, he entered 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 ...
as a medical student, being the pupil of
Joseph Black
Joseph Black (16 April 1728 – 6 December 1799) was a Scottish physicist and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was Professor of Anatomy and Chemistry at the University of Glas ...
,
William Cullen
William Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment: He was Dav ...
,
John Gregory,
John Hope, and
Alexander Monro secundus
Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn (22 May 1733 – 2 October 1817) was a Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator. He is typically known as or Junior to distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians of ...
.
Duncan was president of the
Royal Medical Society
The Royal Medical Society (RMS) is a society run by students at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland. It claims to be the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based ...
in 1764, and five times afterwards.
His attachment to the society continued through life: he was its treasurer for many years; and in 1786 he was awarded a gold medal for his services. On the completion of his course of studies in 1768, he traveled to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
as surgeon of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
's ship ''Asia''. Refusing an offer of five hundred guineas to undertake a second voyage, Duncan graduated M.D. at St Andrews in October 1769, and in May 1770 became a licentiate of the
Edinburgh College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
. In the same year he was an unsuccessful candidate for the professorship of medicine at the University of St Andrews. He was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1774.
During the absence of Dr. Drummond, professor-elect of medicine at Edinburgh, Duncan was appointed to lecture in 1774–6. When Drummond failed to return,
James Gregory was elected professor, and Duncan started an extra-academical course, as well as a public dispensary (the first free hospital in Scotland), which afterwards became the
Royal Public Dispensary
The Public Dispensary of Edinburgh was the first free-of-charge hospital in Scotland.
History
Edinburgh has a history of providing free medical care to the poor. In first meeting of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, in 1681, the F ...
, incorporated by
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
in 1818.
In 1773 he lived on Bristo Street in the south of Edinburgh.
In 1773, he commenced the publication of ''Medical and Philosophical Commentaries'', a quarterly journal of medicine, at first issued in the name of "a society in Edinburgh", Duncan being named as secretary. It was the first medical review journal published regularly in Great Britain. The seventh volume was entitled ''Medical Commentaries for the year 1780, collected and published by Andrew Duncan'', and reached a third edition. The series extended ultimately to twenty volumes, the last issue being in 1795, after which the publication was entitled ''Annals of Medicine'', of which eight volumes were issued. In 1804 it was discontinued in favour of the ''Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal'', edited by his son.
In 1782, Duncan founded the Harveian Society of Edinburgh, which - like other
Harveian societies - celebrated the work of physician and anatomist
William Harvey
William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and proper ...
, especially concerning the
circulation of the blood
The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
.
Duncan's extra-academical lectures were continued with considerable success till 1790, when he became the president of the
Edinburgh College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
. On William Cullen's resignation in that year he was succeeded in the professorship of medicine by James Gregory, and Duncan followed the latter in the chair of the theory or institutes of medicine (physiology).
In 1792, he proposed the erection of a public
lunatic asylum
The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...
in Edinburgh, having first conceived the idea after hearing of the miserable death of
Robert Fergusson
Robert Fergusson (5 September 1750 – 16 October 1774) was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson led a bohemian life in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intellectual and c ...
in 1774 in the common
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...
. It was not until many difficulties had been surmounted that the project was at last accomplished, and a royal charter was granted in 1807 under which a lunatic asylum was built in
Morningside.
Inspired by a miscarriage of justice, he also delivered the first lectures on
forensic medicine
Forensic medicine is a broad term used to describe a group of medical specialties which deal with the examination and diagnosis of individuals who have been injured by or who have died because of external or unnatural causes such as poisoning, assa ...
in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, and campaigned to establish a chair of
medical jurisprudence
Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law. As modern medicine is a legal c ...
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 ...
. The chair was eventually filled by his son,
Andrew Duncan, the younger
Andrew Duncan, the younger (10 August 1773 – 13 May 1832) was a British physician and professor at the University of Edinburgh.
Life
Duncan was the son of Elizabeth Knox and Andrew Duncan, the elder, born at Adam Square in Edinburgh on 10 Aug ...
, who followed him into the profession.
In 1808, the
freedom of Edinburgh was conferred upon Duncan for his services in the foundation of the dispensary and the asylum. In 1809, he founded the
, which became of great scientific and practical value.
![Andrew Duncan Mausoleum, Buccleuch Church graveyard, Edinburgh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Andrew_Duncan_Mausoleum%2C_Buccleuch_Church_graveyard%2C_Edinburgh.JPG)
In his later years, Duncan was actively occupied in promoting the establishment of a public experimental garden, the scheme for which was actively progressing at his death. In 1819, his son became joint professor with him, and in 1821, Dr. W. P. Alison succeeded to that post, but Duncan continued to do much of the duty to the last. In 1821, on the death of James Gregory, Duncan became first
Physician to the King
Physician to the King (or Queen, as appropriate) is a title held by physicians of the Medical Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Part of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household, the Medical Household in ...
in Scotland, having held the same office to the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
for more than thirty years.
In 1821, Duncan was elected president of the Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society at its foundation. In 1824, he was again elected president of the Edinburgh College of Physicians.
Although in his later years, he failed to keep up with the progress of physiology, his zeal was unabated. He used to say that the business of no institution should be hindered by his absence, whether it was forwarded by his presence or not.
For more than half a century he walked to the top of
Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat ( gd, Suidhe Artair, ) is an ancient volcano which is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue ...
on May-day morning, accomplishing this for the last time on 1 May 1827. He died at his home, Adam Square in Edinburgh on 5 July 1828, at age 84.
He bequeathed to the Edinburgh College of Physicians seventy volumes of manuscript notes from the lectures of the founders of the Edinburgh School of Medicine, and a hundred volumes of practical observations on medicine in his own handwriting. A portrait of him by
Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland.
Biography
Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a fo ...
is in the Edinburgh Royal Dispensary, as well as a bust; a full-length portrait was painted in 1825 for the
Royal Medical Society
The Royal Medical Society (RMS) is a society run by students at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland. It claims to be the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based ...
by
John Watson Gordon
Sir John Watson Gordon (1788 – 1 June 1864) was a Scottish portrait painter and president of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Life and work
Gordon was born John Watson in Edinburgh, the eldest son of Captain Watson, R.A., a cadet of the family ...
.
Works
Duncan's larger works, besides those already mentioned, are:
#'Elements of Therapeutics,’ 1770, second edition 1773.
#'Medical Cases,’ 1778, third edition 1784; translated into Latin, Leyden, 1785; translated into French, Paris, 1797.
#An edition of Hoffmann's 'Practice of Medicine,’ 2 vols. 1783.
#'The New Dispensatory,’ editions of 1786, 1789, 1791.
#'Observations on the Distinguishing Symptoms of three different Species of
Pulmonary consumption
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
,’ 1813, second edition 1816.
#'The Edinburgh new Dispensatory : containing 1. The Elements of pharmaceutical Chemistry; 2. The Materia medica; or the natural, pharmaceutical and medical History, of the Substances employed in Medicine; 3. The pharmaceutical Preparations and Compositions; including Translations of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia published in 1817, of the Dublin Pharmacopoeia in 1807, and of the London Pharmacopoeia in 1815'. Bell & Bradfute, Edinburgh 9th Edition 181
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
In connection with the
Harveian Society
The Harveian Society of London, named after the physician William Harvey, is a medical society and registered charity, founded in 1831. Doctors assemble regularly at the Medical Society of London, Chandos Street, Cavendish Square to converse and d ...
, Duncan published an oration in praise of
Harvey
Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit
* Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
, 1778; and memoirs of
Alexander Monro (primus)
Alexander Monro (19 September 169710 July 1767) was a Scottish surgeon and anatomist. His father, the surgeon John Monro (surgeon), John Monro, had been a prime mover in the foundation of the Edinburgh Medical School and had arranged Alexande ...
, 1780; John Parsens, 1786;
John Hope, 1789;
Alexander Monro (secundus)
Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn (22 May 1733 – 2 October 1817) was a Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator. He is typically known as or Junior to distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians of ...
, 1818;
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences.
Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...
, 1821; and
Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland.
Biography
Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a fo ...
, 1824.
Duncan published his ''Opinion'', 1808, and a ''Letter to Dr. James Gregory'', 1811, on the subject of Gregory's many controversies. Some of his poetry is included in ''Carminum Rariorum Macaronicorum Delectus'' (Esculapian Society), 1801, second edition enlarged; and ''Miscellaneous Poems, extracted from the Records of the Circulation Club, Edinburgh'', 1818. He also selected and published ''Monumental Inscriptions selected from Burial Grounds at Edinburgh'', 1815.
Family
In February 1771, he married Elizabeth Knox, who bore him twelve children. His eldest son,
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
, also became a professor at Edinburgh. His third son,
Alexander Duncan (1780–1859), became a general in the army and distinguished himself in India.
Freemasonry
Duncan was a Scottish Freemason. He was initiated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, on 27 December 1774. The Lodge records state that he was the 'founder of the
Edinburgh dispensary.'
Grave
He is buried together with many of his family in a mausoleum in Buccleuch Churchyard. As a favour, one of his prodigy students is buried in the tomb, having died during his studies:
Charles Darwin (1758–1778) by blood the uncle of his namesake
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
the naturalist, but dying before his birth.
Legacy
The Andrew Duncan Clinic at the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
The Royal Edinburgh Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Morningside Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian.
History
The "foundational myth" has it that the hospital was founded by Dr Andrew Duncan, the elder, Andrew Duncan ...
, opened in 1965, is named after him. A bust of Duncan by
Lawrence Macdonald
Lawrence Macdonald sometimes Laurence Macdonald (15 February 1799 – 4 March 1878) was a Scottish sculptor.
Life
Macdonald was born on 15 February 1799 at Findo Gask in Perthshire, Scotland to Margaret Morison and Alexander Macdonald, a vi ...
is held at the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
.
Notes
References
*
*
*
Attribution
*; Endnotes:
**Autobiographical Fragment in ''Miscellaneous Poems'', by A. D., 1818
**Huie's Harveian Oration for 1829
**Chambers's Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, editor Thomson
**Cockburn's Memorials, page 284
**Grant's Story of Edinburgh University ii. 406–7
**Fragment of Life of the Scriba Prætorius in Misc. Poems of
Circulation Club above mentioned.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Andrew
1744 births
1828 deaths
Medical doctors from Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish Freemasons
Scottish publishers (people)
Scottish medical writers
Scottish philanthropists
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British forensic scientists
Scottish journalists
18th-century Scottish medical doctors
19th-century Scottish medical doctors
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19th-century Scottish people
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Mental health professionals
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