James Inglis (1813-1851) was a Scottish physician, author and geologist.
Early life
James Inglis was born in
Glasgow on 6 September 1813, the son of James Inglis, a merchant and his wife, Charlotte Spalding, the daughter of
Charles Spalding, improver of the
diving bell. Through his mother, Inglis was a member of the Smalls of
Dirnanean, a
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
family that included direct ancestor,
James Small,
factor of the forfeited Robertson estates after
Culloden.
After early schooling in
Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of .
History
The name Musselburgh is Ol ...
, Inglis became a student at the
University of Edinburgh. While a student in
Edinburgh, he received the Hope prize for
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
for his paper, ''Essay on iodine and bromine''.
His mentor during this time was
Sir George Ballingall.
Receiving his medical degree in 1834, he became a member of the
Royal College of Physicians of England
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
in that same year.
Medical career
Inglis set up practice at
Castle Douglas.
In 1835, he performed a brilliant home operation on gunshot victim, Maria Kennedy, removing the bullet from behind her left frontal bone.
She had been shot by Kirkcudbright Stewart-officer Robert Blair.
The patient survived and Inglis provided detailed testimony of the operation and the condition of the patient at the trial.
In 1837 he moved to the
Ripon Public Dispensary. Then in 1838, while at Ripon, Inglis published his ''Treatise of English Bronchocele''.
The work documented the epidemiology of
goitre, using
iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
treatment research Inglis had accumulated in both Scotland and England.
In 1838, Inglis moved his practice to
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...
.
Other pursuits
Pursuing a lifelong passion for chemistry and
geology, Inglis became the
curator for the Halifax Literary & Philosophical Society.
In 1843, while studying the Halifax
coal beds, he discovered a new species of
sea lily that he named ''Nautilus Rawsoni'', which he named after Christopher Rawson, the founder of the Halifax Literary & Philosophical Society.
Interested in
phrenology
Phrenology () is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.Wihe, J. V. (2002). "Science and Pseudoscience: A Primer in Critical Thinking." In ''Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', pp. 195–203. C ...
, Inglis researched the brain of
Eugene Aram, an infamous English murderer.
Inglis was a
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and a past
Master of the Yorkshire Lodge in Halifax.
Personal life
Inglis married Louisa Rawson (ca. 1826-1909), the daughter of Jeremiah Rawson, Esq., on 3 May 1842 at St. John the Baptist Church in Halifax. The couple had the following children:
* Charlotte Hannah Louise Inglis (1843-1875), married Priestly Haigh Norris
* Major James Argyll Spalding Inglis (1848-1883), British District Commissioner of
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, 1882-1883
* Charles John Inglis (b. 1850), a solicitor
A great-granddaughter of Inglis was
Surrealist performance artist Sheila Legge
Sheila Legge (née Chetwynd Inglis; c. 1911 – 5 January 1949) was a Surrealist performance artist. Legge is best known for her 1936 Trafalgar Square performance for the opening of London International Surrealist Exhibition, posing in a cost ...
. A brother-in-law of Inglis, and a fellow physician, was
Dr. Charles Ransford.
Inglis died at Halifax on 9 March 1851.
His sister, St. Clair Ransford, attributed his early death to cardiac arrest, likely due to several bouts of
rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...
as a young man.
Dr. Inglis and his wife were buried in Holy Trinity Churchyard in Halifax,
which unfortunately has been converted into a
car park.
References
External links
*
''Treatise of English Bronchocele'' by Dr. James Inglis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inglis, Dr. James
1813 births
1851 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
19th-century Scottish people