Sir Alexander Christison, 2nd Baronet (26 August 1828 – 14 October 1918) was a member of the Edinburgh Christison medical dynasty. He was one of the first doctors to write on the medical benefits of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

. He spent most of his working life in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. On return to Scotland he made major advances in achieving medical training for women.

Life

He was born on 26 August 1828 at 63 Northumberland Street in Edinburgh's New Town the son of Henrietta Sophia Brown and

Robert Christison Sir Robert Christison, 1st Baronet, (18 July 1797 – 27 January 1882) was a Scottish toxicologist and physician who served as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1838–40 and 1846-8) and as president of the British ...

, Professor of Medical Jurisprudence at 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 ...

. The house was then a new house, designed by Robert Reid and

William Sibbald William Sibbald (c.1760–1809) was a Scottish architect. He was superintendent of public works in Edinburgh and assisted Robert Reid in setting out and designing the Second New Town. Their joint work is the largest single development i ...

. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Professor Alexander Christison. He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

then studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He gained his doctorate (MD) in 1850 with a thesis on the medical uses of cannabis. In 1851, he obtained a post as assistant surgeon to the Honourable

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

and served with the 4th Sikh Infantry in the

Second Anglo-Burmese War The Second Anglo-Burmese War or the Second Burma War ( my, ဒုတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် မြန်မာ စစ် ; 5 April 185220 January 1853) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese Empire and British Em ...

1852/53 winning a campaign medal and clasp. He served with the 1st Cavalry 1855 to 1857 and accompanied Meade's Horse regiment at the Mutinies of

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

and

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

in 1858, again receiving a campaign medal and clasp. He then gave medical support to the 18th Bengal Infantry. Late in 1858 he was made superintendent of

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

and lecturer in surgery at Agra Medical School. He rose to be Principal of the school in 1865 and also took on a role as Principal of Agra Lunatic Asylum. Still connected to the military by 1879 he was Surgeon General for the entire North-West Provinces. He retired in 1882, following the death of his father, and his creation as 2nd baronet, and returned to Edinburgh. Here he joined his brother David Christison at 40 Moray Place, his parents' large townhouse on the

Moray Estate The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. Back ...

. In Edinburgh he busied himself in various medical matters. Most notably he strived to reverse his father's anti-female stance in the education of women and more specifically women doctors. He was President of the Scottish Association for the Medical Education of Women. He was also President of the Royal Victoria Hospital from its foundation in 1887. He ran several campaigns to reduce

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in Scotland. He died at home 40 Moray Place in Edinburgh on 14 October 1918 aged 90. He is buried with his family in New Calton Cemetery. The grave lies on a south-facing terrace, just west of the main north–south path, towards the centre.

Family

He was married twice. First to Jemima Anne (Annie) Cowley Brown (possibly a cousin) who died in 1876, then to Florence Elworthy (1851-1949) who was considerably his junior. He had one son and two daughters by his first marriage, and two sons and three daughters by the second marriage. His youngest son, Lieutenant Frederick John Christison (b.1895) was killed on 4 December 1915 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 ...

while serving with the 10th battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his oldest son Major Robert Alexander Christison of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

. His cousin,

died of

in 1915.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christison, Alexander 1828 births 1918 deaths Medical doctors from Edinburgh People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Scottish surgeons British East India Company Army officers Burials at the New Calton Burial Ground Indian Medical Service officers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857