George Stewart Beatson (22 May 1814 – 7 June 1874) was a Scottish physician who was surgeon-general of the British Army and

Honorary Physician to the Queen An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germa ...

Biography

Beatson graduated in arts and medicine from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, earning an M.D. in 1836. In 1838, Beatson joined the army medical department, and did duty on the staff in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

from 1839 to 1851. He was surgeon to the 51st Foot in the

second Burmese war The Second Anglo-Burmese War or the Second Burma War ( my, ဒုတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် မြန်မာ စစ် ; 5 April 185220 January 1853) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese Empire and British Em ...

, and subsequently served as

PMO PMO may refer to: Government and military * Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, a United States Food and Drug Administration standard * Polish Military Organisation, an intelligence and sabotage group during World War I * Prime Minister's Office ...

at Koulali Hospital in Turkey during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, where he rendered valuable services in the organisation of the hospitals at

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

. After serving as deputy inspector-general in the Ionian Islands and

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, he became surgeon-general in 1863, and was appointed principal medical officer of European troops in India, an appointment which he held for the customary five years. For the next three years he was in medical charge of the Royal Victoria Hospital,

Netley Netley, officially referred to as Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It is situated to the south-east of the city of Southampton, and flanked on one side by the ruins of Netley Abbey and on the other by the R ...

; and in 1871 was appointed principal medical officer in India for the second time. He was appointed a

Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

in 1869. He died suddenly at Knollswood,

Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...

on 7 June 1874. Beatson, who was an

, was accounted one of the ablest officers in the army medical service, but it is in the records of the department, at home and in India, rather than in professional literature, that his labours will be noticed.

Family

Beatson married Mary Jane Cochrane. They had four sons who had distinguished military careers and one daughter: *Lt.-Col. Dr Sir George Thomas Beatson (31 August 1848 – 16 February 1933) *Col. Charles Henry Beatson (27 March 1851 – 20 January 1938) *Col. Finlay Cochrane Beatson (2 August 1855 – 20 August 1933) *Col. William John Arnold Beatson (9 August 1857 – 31 December 1908) *Florence Frederica Hamilton Beatson (6 December 1859 – 17 February 1936) Beatson married secondly Elizabeth Adams Hoyes. They had one daughter: * Elizabeth Mary Stewart Beatson (September 1871 – 10 April 1958)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beatson, George Stewart 1814 births 1874 deaths 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Companions of the Order of the Bath Alumni of the University of Glasgow