Dr James Wilson (1765–1821) was a British anatomist. A pupil of John Hunter, he took over Hunter's position teaching anatomy at the Great Windmill Street School in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. He is

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

of Wilson's muscle in the constrictor urethræ. His anatomical collection 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 ...

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 it is now known as the James Wilson Collection.

Life

He was born in

Beith Beith is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) after its ''Court ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

. His family moved to London in his youth, and he then became assistant to Dr

William Cumberland Cruikshank William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745 in Edinburgh – 27 June 1800) was a British physician and anatomist. He was the author of ''The Anatomy of the Absorbing Vessels of the Human Body'', which was first published in 1786.Pilcher, Lewis Stephe ...

: he made dissections for Cruikshank and John Hunter. He also studied under William Hunter and

Matthew Baillie Matthew Baillie FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and pathologist, credited with first identifying transposition of the great vessels (TGV) and situs inversus. Early life and education He was born in the manse ...

. He then became a demonstrator and lecturer on anatomy; and was licensed to teach classes in

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

; he attracted naval and military men, and

James McGrigor Sir James McGrigor, 1st Baronet, (9 April 1771 – 2 April 1858) was a Scottish physician, military surgeon and botanist, considered to be the man largely responsible for the creation of the Royal Army Medical Corps. He served as Rector of the U ...

was among his pupils. His private lectures were then taken over by Benjamin Brodie, and Wilson concentrated on the Great Windmill Street School.

Thomas Joseph Pettigrew Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (28 October 1791 – 23 November 1865), sometimes known as "Mummy" Pettigrew, was a surgeon and antiquarian who became an expert on Ancient Egyptian mummies. He became well known in London social circles for his private ...

, ''Medical Portrait Gallery'' vol. 2 (1838), ''James Wilson F.R.S''
Google Books

Family

Wilson married the sister of John Clarke. The physician

James Arthur Wilson Dr James Arthur Wilson FRCP (1795 – 29 December 1882) was a British physician. He was born in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, the son of James Wilson, the surgeon and teacher of anatomy at the Hunterian School of Medicine in Great Windmill Str ...

was their son.aim25.ac.uk, Royal College of Physicians, ''Wilson, James and Wilson, James Arthur''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, James 1765 births 1821 deaths Scottish anatomists Fellows of the Royal Society

Life

Family

See also

Notes