Anthony Elliot Ritchie

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 ...

LLD (30 March 1915–14 September 1997) was a 20th-century Scottish physiologist and educator.

Life

Ritchie was born at 20 Upper Gray Street,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

on 30 March 1915, the only son of Jessie Jane Elliot and James Ritchie

. He was schooled at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

from 1922 to 1930. He studied science at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

graduating with an MA in 1933 and a BSc in 1936. He then 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 ...

graduating with an MB ChB in 1940. He served in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

1942 to 1945, attached to the Territorial Army. This role was both part-time and Edinburgh-based, allowing him to continue other academic pursuits. He was a Carnegie Research Scholar 1940-41 and from 1942 began lecturing in Physiology at the

, being promoted to senior lecturer in 1946. In 1948 the

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 ...

gave him a professorship, where he continued until 1969. In 1951 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 proposers were Norman Davidson,

Robert Garry Robert Campbell Garry (1933) OBE FRSE (1900–1993) was a British physician and Professor of Medicine at the University of St Andrews and the University of Glasgow. During World War II, as an expert on human physiology, he advised on human ...

, Ernest Cruickshank, and Sir James Learmonth. He served as Secretary to the Society 1960 to 1965 and was twice Vice President: 1965-66 and 1976–79, being General Secretary in between. He won the Society's Bicentenary Medal in 1983. In 1969 he became Secretary and Treasurer to the

Carnegie Trust The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline, ...

for the Universities of Scotland. He was also a Director of the Royal Observatory Trust. In 1972 he received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from the

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 ...

and the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1985. He retired in 1986 and died in

on 14 September 1997.

Family

In 1941 he married Elizabeth Lambie Knox, and they together had three daughters and one son.

Publications

*''Clinical Electromyography'' (1977) with J. A. R. Lenman

References

1915 births 1997 deaths Medical doctors from Edinburgh People educated at Edinburgh Academy 20th-century British medical doctors British physiologists Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of St Andrews Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Royal Army Medical Corps officers {{Scotland-med-bio-stub