James Arrott MD (13 February 1808 – 13 August 1883) was a 19th-century Scottish physician and philanthropist. He gives his name to James Arrott Drive on the Ninewells Hospital site west of

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

Biography

He was born in a town mansionhouse at Almeri Close in

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. The ...

on 13 February 1808, the son of William Arrott (1774-1862), a surgeon, and Mary Balfour, the widow of Henry Sharpy. He was educated at Arbroath Academy then sent to Edinburgh University to study medicine. His tutors included the young Prof Christison. He gained his Diploma in 1827 and doctorate (MD) in 1829. He then did further studies on the continent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. He then settled in Paris from late 1829 to 1831. In 1831 he returned to Scotland and set up practice in

.Eminent Arbroathians: James Arrott, J M McBain 1897 From 1833 to 1855 he was head physician at Dundee Royal Infirmary. This was originally on King Street, but, largely under his direction, a new hospital was designed. This was conceived in 1852 and opened in its new location of Barrack Road in February 1855. This was with the help and financial aid of Sir John Ogilvy, MP for Dundee. For the same period he was also physician to the Watt Institution, which catered for victims of consumption, under the presidency of Mr Erskine of Linlathen.Eminent Arbroathians, J M McBain 1897 In 1819 he was presented with a

stethoscope The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the skin, and one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. ...

made by Laennec. He was one of the founders of Dundee Free Library (replaced in 1895 using the Cox bequest). At the passing of the Education (Scotland) Act in 1872 he became one of the Members of the School Board, remaining there for at least two terms of office. He died in Dundee on 13 August 1883. On death he left almost £7000 to be used to maintain the poor of

. Dundee Royal Infirmary was replaced by Ninewells Hospital in 1960.

Family

He was younger half-brother to the physician William Sharpey. He was elder brother to David Arrott (1809–1876), who founded the Arbroath Museum Society.

Publications

*''The Structure and Function of Animals'' (1834)

Artistic Recognition

His portrait of 1877 by John Anderson Stewart is held by Dundee City Council.

References

1808 births 1883 deaths People from Arbroath People educated at Arbroath High School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish philanthropists 19th-century British philanthropists {{Scotland-med-bio-stub