Thomas Ferguson

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 ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(23 May 1900 – 1 May 1977) was a Scottish surgeon and Professor of Public Health from 1944 to 1964 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 , ...

. Much of his early writing and philosophy paved the way for the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in Britain after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Life

He was born on 23 May 1900 the son of Alexander Gray Ferguson. He attended 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 ...

graduating with an

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1922. During his studies he received Wellcome Medals for essays on the heart (1921) and on

Joseph Black Joseph Black (16 April 1728 – 6 December 1799) was a Scottish physicist and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was Professor of Anatomy and Chemistry at the University of Glas ...

(1922). He received a Diploma in Public Health in 1923 and his doctorate (MD) in 1924 aged 24. He worked as Assistant Medical Officer of Health in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

then briefly moved to England for a similar role in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. He served as part as HM Medical Inspector of Factories for the Home Office 1929-1930, during the rise of Health and Safety concerns in the workplace. He was also Chairman of the Committee on Carcinogenic Action of Mineral Oils and Chairman of the General Nursing Council, Scotland. He was an honorary Consultant Physician at the Glasgow Western Infirmary and

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

Royal Infirmary. In 1932 the University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary doctorate (DSc). In 1933 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 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 ...

. His proposers were Alexander Gray McKendrick,

William Frederick Harvey Lieutenant-Colonel William Frederick Harvey Order of the Indian Empire, CIE Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, FRCPE Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE (1873-11 September 1948) was a Scottish expert on public health, serving fo ...

William Ogilvy Kermack William Ogilvy Kermack FRS FRSE FRIC (26 April 1898 – 20 July 1970) was a Scottish biochemist. He made mathematical studies of epidemic spread and established links between environmental factors and specified diseases. He is noteworthy for ...

, and William Glen Liston. From 1933 to 1944 he worked for the Scottish Department of Health, mainly on policy issues, before being offered Professor of Public Health by 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 , ...

in 1944, where he stayed until he retired. During the

he was Medical Superintendent in charge of

Gleneagles Hospital Gleneagles Hospital is a private hospital on Napier Road, Singapore next to Napier MRT station. It provides medical and surgical services. It is part of Parkway Pantai, itself a subsidiary of the Malaysian–Singaporean private healthcare group ...

, the famous hotel being converted to hospital use during the war. He was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1954 for his work on public health. In 1973 his wife, Ann Elizabeth Webster died. They had no children. He died on 1 May 1977 in

Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey ( gv, Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has ...

. He left his entire estate to the University of Glasgow with a caveat that the funds be used to improve social activities.

Publications

*''The Dawn of Scottish Social Welfare'' (1948) *''Scottish Social Welfare 1864-1914'' (1958)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Thomas 1900 births 1977 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Glasgow Scottish non-fiction writers 20th-century Scottish medical doctors