Robert Scot Skirving (1859 – 1956) was a physician and surgeon in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He was born in the United Kingdom. The University of Sydney named the Scot Skirving Prize (for Medicine and Surgery) in his honour.

Life

He was born on 18 December 1859 at Campton Farm in the parish of

Drem Drem (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim'') is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh and is close to Haddington (to the south), North Berwick (northeast), Dirleton (north) and Gullane (north west). It ...

near

Haddington, East Lothian The Royal Burgh of Haddington ( sco, Haidintoun, gd, Baile Adainn) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is ...

. He was the son of Robert Scot Skirving, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth (known as "Leila") Owen, daughter of William Owen of

Rathdowney Rathdowney or Rathdowny () is a town in southwest County Laois, Ireland. It lies some 32 km southwest of Portlaoise in the Irish Midlands, at the point where the R433 regional road from Abbeyleix to Templemore is crossed by the R435 fro ...

in Ireland. His paternal ancestors included both Adam Skirving the songwriter, and

Archibald Skirving Archibald Skirving (1749 – 19 May 1819) was a Scottish portrait painter. He was born at Athelstaneford near Haddington. Life Archibald was born in Athelstaneford near Haddington the son of Adam Skirving. His younger brother Robert joined t ...

the artist. The family left the farm and moved to Nether Quarry Holes off Easter Road in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

(the harbour area of

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 ...

) in his youth. However his father seems to have had money and he moved to 29 Drummond Place, a huge Georgian townhouse 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 ...

by 1875. He was raised in an atmosphere of extreme Scottish

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

. He was sent to Edinburgh Academy for education, then trained at the Eastman's Royal Naval Academy in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. However, he ended in the merchant navy rather the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. He first served ships plying with

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, then on HMS ''Conway'' (a training ship). In 1875, aged 16, he joined the SS ''Tantallon Castle'', a mail ship, at that time bound for

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

. During the return trip he developed

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, r ...

and was hospitalised once reaching Britain. A long period under medical care inspired him to change his career. In 1876 he enrolled at Edinburgh University to study Medicine and graduated MB ChB in 1881. His classmates included Alexander MacCormick,

Thomas Anderson Stuart Sir Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart (20 June 1856 – 29 February 1920) was a Scottish-born professor of physiology, founder of the medical school at the University of Sydney.J. Atherton Young,Stuart, Sir Thomas Peter Anderson (1856 - 1920), Aus ...

, and

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

. His teachers had included

Thomas Annandale Thomas Annandale, FRCS FRSE (1838–1907) was a Scottish surgeon who conducted the first repair of the meniscus and the first successful removal of an acoustic neuroma, and introduced the pre-peritoneal approach to inguinal hernia repair. H ...

Patrick Heron Watson Sir Patrick Heron Watson (5 January 1832 – 21 December 1907) was an eminent 19th-century Scottish surgeon and pioneer of anaesthetic development. He was associated with a number of surgical innovations including excision of the knee jo ...

, James Duncan,

Douglas Argyll Robertson Douglas Moray Cooper Lamb Argyll Robertson FRSE, FRCSEd LLD (1837 – 3 January 1909) was a Scottish ophthalmologist and surgeon. He introduced physostigmine into ophthalmic practice and the Argyll Robertson pupil is named after him. He was p ...

and

John Chiene John Chiene, CB, LLD, MD, FRSE, FRCSEd (25 February 1843 – 29 May 1923) was a Scottish surgeon, who was Professor of Surgery at the University of Edinburgh during some of its most influential years. He was a founder of the Edinburgh Am ...

. He did further postgraduate studies in both

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He then worked for some time at the then new

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 1883 he joined the migrant ship SS ''Ellora'' as a ship's surgeon and returned to Australia. In November his old classmate and friend Dr

appointed him Medical Superintendent of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. In 1884 he also set up a private consultancy at College Street in Sydney. He also served as Honorary Physician at the Hospital for Sick Children, but clashed with its lady superintendent, Dr Frances Holden, forcing him to step down in 1889. He filled this gap by becoming honorary surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney (1889-1923) and by lecturing at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

he served with Australian troops in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

alongside Alexander MacCormick. 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 returned to Britain serving as a Major in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, based at an auxiliary hospital in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. He then moved as a specialist surgeon to treat wounded at the

Queen Alexandra Military Hospital The Queen Alexandra Military Hospital (QAMH) opened in July 1905. It was constructed immediately to the north of the Tate Britain (across a side-street) adjacent to the River Thames on the borders of the neighbourhoods of Millbank and Pimlico, W ...

in Millbank,

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 ...

. He returned to Sydney in January 1919. He died at home in Bellevue Hill in Sydney on 15 July 1956. He was cremated. The service reflected his Scottish roots, playing the traditional Scottish lament Flowers of the Forest.

Positions of note

*President of the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

branch of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

1891–92 *Chief Medical Advisor to the Australian Mutual Provident Society 1911–1936 *Member of the League of Ancient Mariners of New South Wales *Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (1927–1956) *Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (1938–1956) *Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in London (1953–56)

Publications

*''Our Army in South Africa'' (1901) *''Love and Longitude'' (1901) *''Wire Splicing for Yachtsmen'' (1931)

Family

He married Lucy Susan Hester (d.1950) in January 1886 in

Willoughby, New South Wales Willoughby is a suburb located on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. The City of Wil ...

. They had three sons one of whom died in infancy. His brother was Archibald Adam Scot Skirving

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 ...

(1868-1930) Archibald Waller Scot Skirving served as a Captain in the

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...

and was killed at Gallipoli during the

. His body was not found and he is listed on the

Helles Memorial The Helles Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial near Sedd el Bahr, in Turkey, on the headland at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula overlooking the Dardanelles. It includes an obelisk which is over high. The memorial ...

. His eldest son Robert Scot Skirving returned to Britain and was a doctor at

Hospital. He married Leila Stephanie Barton, daughter of Australia's first prime minister, Sir

Edmund Barton Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton, (18 January 18497 January 1920) was an Australian politician and judge who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903, holding office as the leader of the Protectionist Party. He resigned to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skirving, Robert Scot 1859 births 1956 deaths People from East Lothian People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Australian military doctors Academic staff of the University of Sydney Royal Army Medical Corps officers Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Colony of New South Wales people