James Simson,

FRCSEd 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 ...

(25 August 1795 – 8 March 1876) was a Scottish surgeon, who worked for most of his career at the New Town Dispensary and was surgeon to the Edinburgh prison. He was president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1844-45 and again in 1873.

Early life and education

Simson was born in

Tulliallan Tulliallan (Gaelic ''tulach-aluinn'', 'Beautiful knoll') was an estate in Perthshire, Scotland, near to Kincardine, and a parish. The Blackadder lairds of Tulliallan, a branch of the Blackadder border clan, wielded considerable power in the 15 ...

, Perthshire, son of Rev David Simson (1740 –1821), minister at Tulliallan and his wife Ann (née Patterson). Little is known of his schooling but he studied medicine 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 ...

, graduating MD in 1816 with an essay entitled ''Disputatio inauguralis de vitiis variis genu, quaedam pathologica complectens'' (An essay on various conditions of the knee including pathology). He went on to qualify as a Fellow 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 ...

in July 1825 with a probationary essay on infanticide.

Career

Simson had a large surgical practice in Edinburgh, was Medical Officer to the New Town Dispensary and also served as surgeon to the Edinburgh prison. He was active in the affairs of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh acting as an examiner and serving as honorary secretary from 1861-1873. He was elected president of the College in 1844 and again in 1873. In 1839 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 a ...

. He described a procedure for partial excision of the elbow joint for tuberculosis. It has been suggested that James Simpson the renowned obstetrician, changed his name to James Young Simpson to avoid confusion with Simson as the two lived close to each other, Simpson in Queen Street and Simson in adjacent Frederick Street 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 Street ...

Family and later life

In 1859 he married Margaret Combe (1830 -1885), daughter of

James Scarth Combe James Scarth Combe FRSE, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, FRCSEd (1796–1883) was a British surgeon. He was the first person to give an accurate description of pernicious anaemia and to recognise that atrophic gastritis was a feature of ...

, who had also served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. They had a son David James (1861 –1913) and a daughter Alice (1863 – 1944). Simson died at 3 Glenfinlas Street, his final Edinburgh home, on 8 March 1876.Scotland's People. Statutory Register of Deaths. 1876. Edinburgh, St George's. Ref. 685/1 257

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simson, James 1795 births 1876 deaths People from Perthshire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh