Harry Rainy or Rainey LLD (1792–1876) was a 19th-century pathologist, Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Glasgow, and Vice Rector of 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 , ...

. He was a lifelong friend of

John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...

whom he met at the University of Glasgow.

Life

He was born in the small village of Criech in Sutherlandshire on 20 October 1792, the son of Rev George Rainey (1734-1810) the local

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

minister, and his wife, Anne Robertson, daughter of Rev Gilbert Roberton of Kincardine. One of his brothers was George Rainy, the noted slave plantation owner and personality involved in the Highland Clearances. He studied medicine first at 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 , ...

and then 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 in 1812. From 1812 to 1814 he acted as a clerk at

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

then went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

for further studies and to experience work in Paris hospitals. He was in Paris on 20 March 1815 to witness the crowds welcoming the triumphant return of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

after his escape from

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

. In Paris he met and befriended the anatomist,

Guillaume Dupuytren Baron Guillaume Dupuytren (; 5 October 1777 – 8 February 1835) was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for his description of Dupuytren' ...

and the toxicologist Mathieu Orfila. He left Paris in the summer of 1815. He returned via Brussels, and in early June passed the then unknown village of Waterloo where two weeks later it would pass into world history with the defeat of Napoleon. He set up in private practice in his home town of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

at 157 West George Street. He instigated the Glasgow Eye Infirmary in 1824. He also lectured in the Institutes of Medicine at the University of Glasgow 1832 to 1839, gaining his MD in 1833. In 1839 he began lecturing in the Practice of Medicine. In 1841 he was created Professor of Forensic Medicine and Medical Jurisprudence. He resigned in 1862 to concentrate on his ongoing private practice. In the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

he left the established church of his late father to join the Free Church of Scotland, in which his son Robert was a leading figure. In 1852 he was made Vice Rector of the University of Glasgow. The University granted him a further honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1873. He died at home, 2 Woodside Place (just north of

Sauchiehall Street Sauchiehall Street () is one of the main shopping streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. Although commonly associated with the city centre, Sauchiehall Street is over in length. At its ...

) in Glasgow on 6 August 1876.

Artistic Recognition

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonal ...

James Faed James Faed (4 April 1821 – 23 September 1911) was one of three famous Scottish brother painters/artists. Early life James was the second son of the six children of James Faed, tenant of Barlay Mill, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Galloway, and Mary ...

(after John Graham Gilbert) is held by the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

Family

In 1818 he married Barbara Gordon of Invercarron. She died in 1854. He was father to Rev Dr Robert Rainy and Dr George Rainy (1832-1869) who worked at the Glasgow Eye Infirmary and died of

typhus fever Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

Harry Rainy (1864-1923)

His grandson, George's son, also Harry Rainy, followed in his footsteps. Harry was born in Glasgow but the family moved to George Square in Edinburgh in 1870 following his father's premature death when Harry was only five. He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

. He then studied Medicine at the

, attaining an MA, MB, CM, and finally his MD in 1899. In 1897 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir Thomas Richard Fraser, John Sturgeon Mackay, Alexander Bruce, and

Diarmid Noel Paton Diarmid Noël Paton, (19 March 1859 – 30 September 1928), known as Noël Paton, was a Scottish physician and academic. From 1906 to 1928, he was the Regius Professor of Physiology at the University of Glasgow. Personal life and education P ...

. He died at 16 Great Stuart Street in Edinburgh on 4 January 1923.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainy, Harry 1792 births 1876 deaths Scottish pathologists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Glasgow