James Russell
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 ...
RSA (1754–1836) was a Scottish surgeon who was the first professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh. He was president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and was a co-founder 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 ...
. In 1805 he published one of the earliest descriptions of direct inguinal hernia.
His collection of anatomical specimens was donated to the
Surgeon's Hall
Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...
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 ...
and is now known as the James Russell Collection.
Early life
He 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 ...
. His father, also James Russell (d 1773), was a surgeon who became
Deacon (President) of the Incorporation of Surgeons in 1752. He gave up his surgical career to take up the Chair of Natural Philosophy at 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 ...
in 1764 succeeding
Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson, (Scottish Gaelic: ''Adhamh MacFhearghais''), also known as Ferguson of Raith (1 July N.S./20 June O.S. 1723 – 22 February 1816), was a Scottish philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Ferguson was sympathet ...
who had become Professor of Moral Philosophy.
[Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. (1874). ''List of Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from the year 1581 to 31st December 1873''. Edinburgh: R.C.S.E.] James Russell senior was a cousin of the chemist
Joseph Black
Joseph Black (16 April 1728 – 6 December 1799) was a Scottish physicist and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was Professor of Anatomy and Chemistry at the University of Glas ...
. He married Margaret Balfour of Pilrig, great aunt to
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
. Their son, James Russell, was educated at the
Royal High School from 1761 to 1764 and then studied medicine at Edinburgh University.
Surgical career
James Russell followed his father into a surgical career. He became a Fellow of the Incorporation of Surgeons in 1777, a year before it became the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
From 1780 to 1792 he served as college librarian and in 1796 was elected
president of the college. From 1800 he was appointed one of six surgeons-in-ordinary on the staff of
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 ...
.
In 1803 he published an article "Singular variety of Hernia" in which he gave a clear description of direct inguinal hernia, one of the earliest published accounts of the difference between the direct and indirect varieties.
in 1804 all six Infirmary surgeons were given the right to deliver lectures on surgery. Russell had been giving a private surgery lecture course since 1786 and his lectures appear to have been well received. In an effort to expand this aspect of his career, he was drawn into the controversy over the establishment of a Chair of Clinical Surgery at the University of Edinburgh.
Founding of a Chair of Clinical Surgery
For many years the Incorporation of Surgeons had lobbied the Town Council for a chair of clinical surgery to be established in the university. This had been successfully resisted by
Alexander Monro ''secundus'' and his son
Monro ''tertius'' who had both taken the titles of Professor of Anatomy and Surgery although neither had ever been a practising surgeon. In 1802 Russell petitioned the Town Council to be appointed the first professor of clinical surgery and the Professors Monro withdrew their opposition. Russell was appointed to the new chair in 1804 on a salary of £50 per year, obtained from the Crown, making this a
regius chair
A Regius Professor
is a university professor who has, or originally had, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first Regius Professorship was in the field of medicine, and ...
.
Russell continued in the chair until the age of 78 and when he retired in 1833 he made it a condition that his successor should pay him a salary of £300 per year for his lifetime.
Robert Liston
Robert Liston (28 October 1794 – 7 December 1847) was a British surgeon. Liston was noted for his speed and skill in an era prior to anaesthetics, when speed made a difference in terms of pain and survival. He was the first Professor of Cli ...
, a strong contender for the chair, refused "in rather coarse terms" to pay this sum and
James Syme
James Syme (7 November 1799 – 26 June 1870) was a pioneering Scottish surgeon.
Early life
James Syme was born on 7 November 1799 at 56 Princes Street in Edinburgh. His father was John Syme WS of Cartmore and Lochore, estates in Fife a ...
was appointed as Russell's successor.
Offices held
Russell was president of
Royal Medical Society
The Royal Medical Society (RMS) is a society run by students at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland. It claims to be the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based ...
in 1780. In 1783 he was a founder member 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 ...
along with his cousin Joseph Black. Russell served as the society's vice-president from 1823 to 1833 and was president 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 o ...
in 1796–1797. In 1796 he was elected a member of the
Aesculapian Club
The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the Club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh ...
.
Later life and death
In later life, and until retiral, he lived with his family at 30 Abercromby Place, facing Queen Street Gardens in
Edinburgh's New Town
The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Stree ...
.
[Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1830-31]
He retired in 1833 aged 79. He died on 14 August 1836 at Bangholm Bower House in
Trinity, Edinburgh
Trinity is a district of northern Edinburgh, Scotland, once a part of the burgh of Leith (itself a part of the city since 1920). It is one of the outer villa suburbs of Edinburgh mainly created in the 19th century. It is bordered by Wardie to ...
and was buried in
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...
in the city centre.
Family
In 1798 he married Eleanor Oliver.
His son James Russell (1801–1862) followed his father into a surgical career, qualifying MD from the University of Edinburgh and becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
His daughter Elanor Russel married
James Henderson, later a Free Church minister and Moderator.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, James
1754 births
1836 deaths
Medical doctors from Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish surgeons
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard