John McQueen Johnston

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 ...

CBE FRCPE FRCSE LLD (1901–1987) was a Scottish physician and pharmacologist. He served as the Principal Medical Officer for the Department of Health in Scotland until 1968.

History

He was born in

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

in central Scotland on 26 December 1901 the son of a local schoolmaster. He studied Medicine 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 , ...

graduating MB ChB in 1923. From 1925 to 1931 he served as the local GP to

Torridon Torridon (Scottish Gaelic: ''Toirbheartan'') is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torrido ...

on the north-west coast of Scotland. He then began lecturing in Materia Medica at Glasgow University. Concurrently he worked direct for the Department of Health in Scotland rising to be Principal Medical Officer to Scotland. He received his doctorate (MD) in 1934. In 1936 he was elected a Fellow 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 ...

. His proposers were

Ralph Stockman Dr Ralph Stockman MD LLD (3 August 1861–27 February 1946) was a Scottish Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics at the University of Glasgow. He was an expert on iron deficiency anaemia. Life Stockman was born on 3 August 1861 at ...

Thomas Nicol Thomas Nicol (1846–1916) was Professor of Biblical Criticism at the University of Aberdeen. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1914. Life He was born in Edinburgh on 21 October 1846, possibly the son ...

, John Walton and Sir

Edward Battersby Bailey Sir Edward Battersby Bailey FRS FRSE MC CB LLD (1 July 1881 – 19 March 1965) was an English geologist. Life Bailey was born in Marden, Kent, the son of Dr James Battersby Bailey and Louise Florence Carr. He was educated at Kendal grammar s ...

. He was created a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1968. Johnston died in Edinburgh on 28 July 1987 but is buried near his early home, in Dalarossie churchyard in

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

in northern Scotland.

References

1901 births 1987 deaths People from Falkirk Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Glasgow 20th-century Scottish medical doctors {{Scotland-med-bio-stub