Surgeon-General James Jameson (15 August 1837 – 13 September 1904) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

surgeon during the late 19th century, seeing service during the Franco-Prussian War and heading the

Army Medical Services The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the ...

from 1896 to 1901, during which time the Royal Army Medical Corps was established.

Early career

Born in

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

, Ayrshire, Jameson was educated at

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

, and entered the Army as a staff assistant surgeon in 1857. He saw service in Canada (1862) and in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

(1870), where he was promoted to Surgeon for service during a

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

epidemic. He commanded a division of the English Ambulance during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and was promoted to Surgeon Major in 1873.

Royal Army Medical Corps

He was appointed Brigade Surgeon in 1883, deputy Surgeon General in 1888, and Surgeon Major-General in 1893. In 1896, he succeeded Sir William MacKinnon as Director General in 1896, retaining the post until his retirement in 1901, by which time he had overseen operations in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

. The Royal Army Medical Corps was established during Jameson's term in office, and the South African campaign confirmed the need for strong medical support beyond that previously provided by the Army Medical Department. Until this time there had been considerable unhappiness in the Army medical service, with staff not given military rank and awarded fewer honours and awards than the Army Service Corps. The '' British Medical Journal'' campaigned for better conditions, as did the British Medical Association, the

Royal College of Physicians 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 ...

and others, but with no effect on the Secretary of State for War until 1898. Then officers and soldiers providing medical services were finally incorporated into a new body: the Royal Army Medical Corps. Military authorities used Jameson as a scapegoat for the previous medical failings outside his control, but his medical colleagues marked his retirement with a complimentary dinner, testifying to "the esteem in which they continued to hold him". He died at his home in

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of E ...

on 13 September 1904 and was buried with military honours in

Greenwich Cemetery Greenwich Cemetery (also known as Shooters Hill Cemetery) is a cemetery in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in southeast London. It is situated on the southwestern slopes of Shooter's Hill, on the western side of the A205 South Circular, Well Ha ...

on 17 September 1904.

Family

Jameson married the daughter of the Rev Robert David Cartwright, of Kingston, Canada, who survived him with five sons and a daughter. Two of the sons were officers in the RAMC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Jameson 19th-century Scottish medical doctors British Army generals 1837 births 1904 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Alumni of the University of Glasgow 19th-century British Army personnel Royal Army Medical Corps officers