Robert Alexander Fleming FRSE (1862-1947) was a Scottish pathologist and medical author who served as President of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

1927–29.

Life

He was born in Dundee the son of Emma Lyle and Robert Whillans Fleming, a local merchant. He was educated at Larchfield Academy and Craigmount School. He then went to 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 ...

to study medicine, graduating with an MA in 1884 and MB CB in 1888. He then became senior lecturer in Clinical Medicine at the various Edinburgh medical colleges and university and senior surgeon at 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 ...

. In 1900 he was living at 10 Chester Street in Edinburgh's West End. In 1906 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Alexander Bruce,

Daniel John Cunningham Daniel John Cunningham M.D., D.C.L., LL. D. F.R.S., F.R.S.E. F.R.A.I. (15 April 1850 – 23 July 1909) was a Scottish physician, zoologist, and anatomist, famous for ''Cunningham's Text-book of Anatomy'' and ''Cunningham's Manual of Pra ...

Diarmid Noel Paton Diarmid Noël Paton, (19 March 1859 – 30 September 1928), known as Noël Paton, was a Scottish physician and academic. From 1906 to 1928, he was the Regius Professor of Physiology at the University of Glasgow. Personal life and education P ...

and

George Alexander Gibson George Alexander Gibson FRSE FRCPE (27 January 1854 – 18 January 1913) was a Scottish physician, medical author and amateur geologist. As an author he wrote on the diverse fields of both geology and heart disease. The Gibson Memorial Lecture ...

. At this time he was living at 10 Chester Street in Edinburgh's West End. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps, first at the 2nd Scottish General Hospital then at the 42nd General Hospital as part of the

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

Expeditionary Force. In 1925 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 ...

. He died at Innerhadden at

Kinloch Rannoch Kinloch Rannoch (; Gaelic: ''Ceann Loch Raineach'') is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, at the eastern end of Loch Rannoch, 18 miles (29 km) west of Pitlochry, on the banks of the River Tummel. The village is a tourist and outdoor ...

on 6 December 1947.

Publications

*''Short Practice of Medicine and Diseases of Spinal Nerves'' *''Allbut's System of Medicine: The Mental Element of Crime and Criminals''

Family

In 1897 he married Eleanor Mary Holland. Their children included

Launcelot Fleming William Launcelot Scott Fleming (7 August 1906 – 30 July 1990) was a British Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Portsmouth and later the Bishop of Norwich. He was also noted as a geologist and explorer. Childhood Fleming was born in Edi ...

FRSE.

References

1862 births 1947 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish pathologists Scottish non-fiction writers People from Dundee 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors {{Scotland-med-bio-stub