Dr Hugh Ferguson Watson

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 ...

FRFPS MRCP DPH (1874–1946) was a 19th/20th-century Scottish physician who came to notoriety during the suffragette struggles of the early 20th century, particularly with reference to the Cat and Mouse Act in his capacity as medical officer to the Scottish Prison Service.

Life

He was born on 26 March 1874 at Markethill Farm near Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, south-west of Glasgow. His father was William Drummond Watson (1846–1921) a tenant farmer, and his mother was Annie Neill (1852–1927). In 1881 his family had moved to

Ochiltree Ochiltree is a conservation village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire, with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers. A cinerary urn was found in ...

. He was educated at Ayr Academy and was school dux. He studied medicine at Glasgow University graduating MB ChB in 1911 and gaining his doctorate (MD) in 1913. He then took the unusual role as medical officer of Peterhead Prison from 1913. In this capacity, he volunteered in February 1914 to force-feed Ethel Moorhead on hunger strike at

Calton Jail Calton may refer to: Places: *Calton, Glasgow, Scotland **Calton (ward), an electoral ward of the Glasgow City Council *Calton, North Yorkshire, England *Calton, Ontario, Canada *Calton, Staffordshire, England *Calton Hill Calton Hill () is ...

in Edinburgh. Ethel was later released into the care of Dr

Grace Cadell Grace Ross Cadell (October 25, 1855 – February 19, 1918) was a Scottish doctor and suffragist, and one of the first group of women to study medicine in Scotland and qualify. She was, with Elsie Inglis, one of the initial entrants to the Ed ...

, a rare (and sympathetic) female physician who had a sanctuary for suffragettes on Leith Walk. Later in 1914 he was the official physician at the force-feeding of four female prisoners held at Perth Prison and subject to the new Cat and Mouse Act aimed to stem the suffragettes going on hunger strike. In this capacity he crossed swords with

Arabella Scott Arabella Scott (7 May 1886 – 27 August 1980) was a Scottish teacher, suffragette and campaigner. As a member of the Women's Freedom League (WFL) she took a petition to Downing Street in July 1909. She subsequently adopted more militant tact ...

, breaking her front teeth in the act of forcing the metal feed tube into her mouth. Other suffragettes treated were

Mary Richardson Mary Raleigh Richardson (1882/3 – 7 November 1961) was a Canadian suffragette active in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom, an arsonist, a socialist parliamentary candidate and later head of the women's section of the B ...

, Frances Gordon,

Maude Edwards Maude Edwards was a Scottish feminist and suffragette. She was imprisoned in Perth Prison in 1914 for slashing John Lavery’s portrait of King George V hanging in the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. She was force-fed in prison despite h ...

and

Fanny Parker Frances Mary "Fanny" Parker (24 December 1875 – 19 January 1924) was a New Zealand-born suffragette who became prominent in the militant wing of the Scottish women's suffrage movement and was repeatedly imprisoned for her actions. Early li ...

. The method was changed from force-feeding to nutrient-rich suppositories, but if anything, this increased public outrage. Watson stayed on at Perth Prison until 1920, when he was appointed medical deputy commissioner to the General Board of Control for Scotland. In 1923 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 Andrew Freeland Fergus,

Sir Robert Muir Sir Robert Muir, FRS, FRSE, FRCP, FRCPE, FRFPSG (5 July 1864 – 30 March 1959) was a Scottish physician and pathologist who carried out pioneering work in immunology, and was one of the leading figures in medical research in Glasgow in the ...

, Frederick Orpen Bower, and

Thomas Hastie Bryce Prof Thomas Hastie Bryce LLD FRS FSA FRSE (20 October 1862 – 16 May 1946) was a Scottish anatomist, medical author and archaeologist. He was Regius Professor of Anatomy at the University of Glasgow 1909 to 1935 and also Curator of the Hunteria ...

. He died at the City hospital in Edinburgh on 16 June 1946, but was buried with family members in Mauchline Cemetery in

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

Family

In December 1916 he married Donella Anne Aitkens of Earls Court at St Cuthberts Church at Philbeach Gardens in London.

References

1874 births 1946 deaths People from Renfrewshire People educated at Ayr Academy Alumni of the University of Glasgow 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Force-feeding People from Ochiltree {{Scotland-med-bio-stub