James Rae (1716–1791) was a Scottish surgeon, known as the earliest lecturer on surgery in Edinburgh and with a particular reputation as a dental surgeon.
Life
The only son of John Rae (1677–1754), a barber-surgeon originally from
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirli ...
, James was born in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in 1716. In 1741 he was apprenticed to the surgeon Robert Hope, on whose death he was apprenticed to George Lauder. After passing four examinations he became, on 27 August 1747, a Freeman (Fellow) of the
Incorporation of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In 1764–1765 he filled the office of
Deacon or President.
Rae was appointed surgeon-in-ordinary to the
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
on 7 July 1766. There he gave practical discourses on cases of importance. In October 1776 his fellow surgeons made a determined attempt to found a professorship of surgery in 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 ...
, and to appoint Rae the first professor. They were defeated by
Alexander Monro ''secundus'', who then managed persuade the authorities to convert his own chair of anatomy into one of anatomy and surgery, despite the fact that he had never been a practising surgeon.
Rae did in Edinburgh what
Percivall Pott
Percivall Pott (6 January 1714, in London – 22 December 1788) was an English surgeon, one of the founders of orthopaedics, and the first scientist to demonstrate that a cancer may be caused by an environmental carcinogen.
Career
He was the ...
did in London, in establishing the teaching of clinical surgery. In 1772 he asked the College of Surgeons to "recognise and support a course of lectures on the whole art of surgery..."
[Miles, A. (1918). The Edinburgh School of Surgery before Lister ;London: A. & C. Black. p79] The college readily agreed and recommended their apprentices to attend the course.
From 1764 Rae had also gave lectures on diseases of the teeth. Boyes claims that this was the first course of lectures in dentistry to be given in Britain. He established a reputation as a dentist and was "among the first, (if not the first) in Edinburgh to rescue that department from the ignorant and unskilled hands in which it was then placed."
Death
He lived his final years at
Castlehill, the upper section of the
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...
.
He died in 1791, and was buried in the tomb of his forefathers in
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk ( gd, Eaglais nam Manach Liath) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edi ...
. His wife, Isabella Cant died the next year and was buried with him.
The grave lies mid-way along the eastern boundary wall.
Family
Rae married, in 1744, Isobel, daughter of Ludovic Cant of Thurstan. By her he had two sons and several daughters. The elder son William joined the Incorporation of Surgeons on 18 July 1777, settled in London, where he married Isabella, sister of
Robert Dallas
Sir Robert Dallas, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC, Serjeant-at-law, SL King's Counsel, KC (16 October 1756 – 25 December 1824) was an England, English judge, of a Scottish family.
Life and career
Robert Dallas was born at St ...
, and died young. John, the younger brother, was one of the first fellows of the
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...
, where he was admitted on 14 March 1781. He became president in 1804–1805, and, like his father, was known as a dentist. He died in 1808. Among Rae's daughters were: Elizabeth Keir, who founded the Institution for the Relief of Incurables; Elizabeth (Isabella), mother of
Marjorie Fleming
Marjorie Fleming (also spelt Marjory; 15 January 1803 – 19 December 1811) was a Scottish child writer and poet. She gained appreciation from Robert Louis Stevenson, Leslie Stephen, and possibly Walter Scott.
Life
Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Sco ...
; and Margaret, mother of
William Fettes
Sir William Fettes, 1st Baronet (; 25 June 1750 – 27 May 1836) was a wealthy Scottish businessman and philanthropist, who left a bequest which led to the foundation of Fettes College, in Edinburgh.
Life
The Fettes family came from nor ...
.
References
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rae, James
1716 births
1791 deaths
Scottish surgeons
Medical doctors from Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard