Samson Gemmell FRFPS (1848 – 2 April 1913) was a Scottish

paediatrician Pediatrics (American and British English differences, also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United King ...

who became Regius Professor of Practice of Medicine at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Life

Gemmell was born in

Catrine Catrine is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which was formerly a centre of cotton manufacture. It has a population of around () Geography The village lies on the River Ayr which previously provided water power for local industry. It is in t ...

in 1848 and was educated at Glasgow High School. He applied to the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

to study art, with a goal of joining the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, but a childhood

deformity A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major abnormality of an organism that makes a part of the body appear or function differently than how it is supposed to. Causes Deformity can be caused by a variety of factors: *Arthritis an ...

precluded this career move, and forced Gemmell to switch career to Medicine, graduating in 1872 with a Medicine (M.B.) and Surgery (C.M.) qualification with Honours. Gemmell never married.

Career

Gemmell had a number of junior positions before becoming a physician. His first role was working for one year as a

resident assistant A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establishm ...

to Sir

William Tennant Gairdner Sir William Tennant Gairdner (8 November 1824 – 28 June 1907) was a Scottish Professor of Medicine in the University of Glasgow. Early life William Tennant Gardiner was born in Edinburgh, the son of physician John Gairdner and his wife, Su ...

at the

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

. From 1874 to 1877 Gemmell worked as

Physician assistant A physician assistant or physician associate (PA) is a type of Mid-level practitioner, mid-level health care provider. In North America PAs may diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and may serve as a pri ...

to Dr JB Russell at the Glasgow Fever Hospital. Gemmell then became a demonstrator of Anatomy for the anatomist

Allen Thomson Allen Thomson Royal Society of London, FRS FRSE FRCSE (2 April 1809 – 21 March 1884) was a Scottish physician, known as an anatomist and embryologist. Life The only son of John Thomson (physician), Dr John Thomson by his second wife, Marg ...

. In 1887 Gemmell was appointed as a physician to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. In 1892 he was appointed to the same position at the

Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved from the city ...

. In 1880, Gemmell became a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

(MD) and was appointed as Professor to the Chair of Systematic Medicine at the

Anderson's College Medical School The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public university, public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having recei ...

. In 1908 Gemmell was appointed to Regius Professor of Medicine, a position he held until 1913. Gemmell was assisted in this role by

Robert Stevenson Thomson Prof Robert Stevenson Thomson FRSE FFPSG (1858–1905) was a 19th-century British physician. Life He was born in Southampton to Scots parents. His father was a civil engineer and Robert's name appears a homage to the engineer Robert Stevenson. Th ...

. In 1888-1899 Gemmel became Professor of Clinical 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 , ...

and his position as Professor at Anderson's College was filled by Thomson. Gemmell died on 2 April 1913, possibly from a heart attack.

Chair

Gemmell had a brother called William Gemmell, who donated bequeathed £20,000 to the university, to be used either in the medical or science faculties. £20,000 was a substantial sum of money at the time, equivalent to £624,980 in August 2018. The money was used to establish the first Chair of Paediatrics in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. The first occupant in 1924, was Leonard Findlay. The Chair of Paediatrics was renamed in 1947 to the Samson Gemmell Chair of Child Health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gemmell, Samson 1848 births 1913 deaths Regius Professors Academics of the University of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow People educated at the High School of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow People from Catrine