Francis Darby Boyd CB CMG FRCPEd (19 October 1866–1922) was a Scottish physician, and Professor of Clinical 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 ...

Life

The grave of Francis Darby Syme, Dean Cemetery

Boyd was born on 19 October 1866, at 27 Melville Street, Edinburgh. His aunt Mary was married to Francis Darby Syme, who is Boyd’s namesake. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy going on to study medicine at the

, graduating in 1888 with an MB ChB. He received his doctorate (MD) in 1893.BMJ obituary 15 April 1922 In 1899 he became assistant physician at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

also assisting at the Deaconess Hospital in the south of the city. At this time he was living at 6 Atholl Place in Edinburgh's West End. He assisted during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, and was created a Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in 1901 as a result. Then veering towards military medicine he joined 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 ...

in 1910 and served at the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he rose to the rank of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and worked at Craigleith and

Bangour Bangour Village Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located west of Dechmont in West Lothian, Scotland. During the First World War it formed part of the much larger Edinburgh War Hospital. History The hospital was modelled on the village system ...

. In 1919 he was created a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

for his military service. In 1919 he left the Medical Corps to replace Professor William Russell as Professor of Clinical Medicine (known at the Moncrieff-Arnott Chair) at the University of Edinburgh. He was a member of 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 ...

. In 1921 he was elected a member of the Aesculapian Club. He lived at 22 Manor Place in Edinburgh's West End. He died on 4 April 1922 and is buried in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

in western Edinburgh. The grave lies on the main path close to the main entrance.

Family

In 1904 he married Clara Constance Lepper (1875-1961)'','' the daughter of Alfred J. A. Lepper. Together they had 2 daughters, Lesbia Laurence Meron Boyd (1907-1993) and the sculptor

Mary Syme Boyd Mary Syme Boyd (15 August 1910 – 30 October 1997) was a Scottish artist and sculptor who studied at the Edinburgh College of Art from 1929 to 1933. She became known for her animal sculptures and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) an ...

(1910-1997), and a son, John Boyd, who died in infancy in 1905.Grave of F D Boyd, Dean Cemetery

Publications

*'' Pellagra among the Turkish Prisoners of War'' (1920) *''Physical Diagnosis'' (reprinted 2018)

References

1866 births 1922 deaths Medical doctors from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Burials at the Dean Cemetery Royal Army Medical Corps officers {{Scotland-med-bio-stub