Sir Patrick Macgregor, 1st Baronet (30 June 1777 – 17 July 1828) was a Royal Physician appointed to

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

's household. He was succeeded in his position as

Serjeant Surgeon The Serjeant Surgeon is the senior surgeon in the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The origin of the post dates back to 1253. Early serjeant surgeons were military surgeons who followed their king ...

after his death by Sir Astley Paston Cooper Bart.

Background

He was one of five sons of James Macgregor and Margaret (née Grant) of

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

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. He was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 17 March 1828 a few months before his death in his long-term home area of

Saville Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

in London. He was succeeded in his baronetcy by his eldest son William. Macgregor married Bridget Glenny on 12 November 1806 at

St George's, Bloomsbury St George's, Bloomsbury, is a parish church in Bloomsbury, London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom. It was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and consecrated in 1730. The church crypt houses the Museum of Comedy. History The Commissioners for the ...

, Middlesex. Bridget survived her husband dying in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, Sussex on 20 July 1863. The couple had two sons (who would both succeed to the baronetcy) and four daughters.

His Contributions to Medicine

Macgregor was a Vice President of the

College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

and a member of the

Medical and Chirurgical Society of London The Medical and Chirurgical Society of London was a learned society of physicians and surgeons which was founded in 1805 by 26 personalities in these fields who had left the Medical Society of London (founded 1773) because of disagreement with the ...

. He was listed by the society as Surgeon to the

Royal Military Asylum The Duke of York's Royal Military School, more commonly called the Duke of York's, is a co-educational academy (for students aged 11 to 18) with military traditions in Guston, Kent. Since becoming an academy in 2010, the school is now sponsor ...

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, Serjeant Surgeon to the King, Surgeon to His Royal Highness the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

; and Assistant Surgeon to the Lock Hospital at

Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and sout ...

, Soho. It was as the Surgeon at the Royal Military Asylum (first appointed in 1804) that Macgregor achieved some of his most effective contributions to medical science. The institution was home to up to a thousand children and communicable disease was commonplace and caused death and disability. Macgregor was able through the study of diseases occurring amongst the children at the asylum to take action that effectively prevented transmission in some of the diseases, he was a great proponent of hygienic countermeasures. Macgregor wrote in 1811 that 'Egyptian Ophthalmia' (

Trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

) in the army had: 'at different periods materially interfered with its discipline and efficiency. It has crippled many of our best regiments to such a degree as for a time to render them unfit for service'. The problem was exacerbated by lack of understanding of the nature of Trachoma, its causes and what could be done to combat the ailment. Macgregor had identified that contact with the patient's eye discharge was clearly the cause of transmission.

References

1777 births 1828 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area) 1 British surgeons

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

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