![Thomas Grainger Stewart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Thomas_Grainger_Stewart.jpg)
Sir Thomas Grainger Stewart (23 September 1837, in
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 ...
– 3 February 1900, in Edinburgh) was an eminent Scottish physician who served as president of the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
(1889–1891), president of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh, president of the medicine section 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 ...
, and
Physician-in-Ordinary
''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair ...
to the Queen for Scotland.
He was perhaps best known for describing the condition known as
multiple neuritis as well as directing scientific attention in Great Britain to the deep reflexes.
Life
Thomas Grainger Stewart was born in
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 ...
the son of Alexander Stewart, a painter and decorator, and his wife, Agnes Grainger. The family lived at 88
Princes Street
Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...
facing
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
.
He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh
He was then accepted at the
University of Edinburgh Medical School
The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was esta ...
, graduating MD in 1858, and studied further as a postgraduate in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
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 ...
.
On his return to Edinburgh he became resident physician in the
Royal Infirmary Royal Infirmary may refer to a number of hospitals in the United Kingdom:
*England
** Blackburn Royal Infirmary
**Bradford Royal Infirmary
** Bolton Royal Infirmary
**Bristol Royal Infirmary
**Chester Royal Infirmary
**Derbyshire Royal Infirmary
* ...
. In 1862 he was appointed pathologist to the Royal Infirmary and lecturer on pathology and on diseases of children at the
Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine
Extramural medical education in Edinburgh began over 200 years before the university medical faculty was founded in 1726 and extramural teaching continued thereafter for a further 200 years. Extramural is academic education which is conducted o ...
at
Surgeon's Hall
Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...
. During the following seven years he published numerous papers on pathological and clinical subjects, and in 1869 unsuccessfully contested the chair of general pathology at the University of Edinburgh.
In 1866 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
his proposer being
John Hutton Balfour
John Hutton Balfour (15 September 1808 – 11 February 1884) was a Scottish botanist. Balfour became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow in 1841, moving to the University of Edinburgh and also becoming the 7th Regius Keepe ...
. At this time he was living with his family at 32 Queen Street, a fashionable Georgian townhouse.
He resigned his post as pathologist, and was in early 1876 elected ordinary physician to the Royal Infirmary and lecturer on clinical medicine. On the death of Dr.
Thomas Laycock
Thomas Laycock (1786 – 7 November 1823) was an English soldier, explorer, and later businessman, who served in North America during the War of 1812, but is most famous for being the first European to travel overland through the interior of Ta ...
later the same year, Grainger Stewart succeeded him as Professor of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, serving as such until his own death in 1900.
He wrote several prominent medical works, notably on kidney, lung and nervous diseases, and the popular textbook ''On the position and prospects of therapeutics: a lecture introductory to a course on materia medica and dietetic'' (1862).
Grainger Stewart was president of the tenth
International Medical Congress
The International Medical Congress (french: Congrès International de Médecine) was a series of international scientific conferences on medicine that took place, periodically, from 1867 until 1913.
The idea of such a congress came in 1865, dur ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, and in 1898 was president 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 ...
at its meeting in Edinburgh. From 1889 to 1891 he was president of the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
. In 1882 he was appointed a
Physician-in-Ordinary
''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair ...
to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
for Scotland,
and in 1894 received a
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
on the recommendation of the Prime Minister,
Lord Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...
. He received the
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
(LL.D.) from
Aberdeen University
, mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research universityAncient university
, endowment = £58.4 million (2021)
, budget ...
in 1897.
He was also a literary critic, playwright, and amateur archaeologist, an elder of the Free Church and in politics a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
.
In later life Stewart lived at 19
Charlotte Square
300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side
Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended ...
, one of Edinburgh's most prestigious addresses, just off
Princes Street
Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...
. He died at his residence in
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 ...
on 3 February 1900,
and is buried in an east-facing grave in one of the smaller south sections in
Dean Cemetery
The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...
in Edinburgh. The grave is marked by a modest curved stone.
Family
He married twice: first in 1863 to Josephine Dubois Anderson, who died the following year; second, in 1866, to Jessy Dingwall Fordyce MacDonald, daughter of
Robert MacDonald.
Both wives are buried with him.
His daughter,
Agnes Grainger Stewart
Agnes Grainger Stewart (1871-1956) was a Scottish writer.
Life
She was born in Edinburgh on 26 April 1871. Her father was Sir Thomas Grainger Stewart, an eminent physician, and her mother was Jessy Dingwall Fordyce McDonald. They lived at 32 Qu ...
, was a writer.
Artistic recognition
His sketch portraits of 1884, by
William Brassey Hole
William Brassey Hole RSA (7 November 1846 – 22 October 1917) was a Scottish artist, illustrator, etcher, and engraver, known for his industrial, historical and biblical scenes.
Life
Early life and training
Hole was born in Salisbury, ...
, are held by the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Thomas Grainger
1837 births
1900 deaths
Scottish knights
Knights Bachelor
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Medical doctors from Edinburgh
19th-century Scottish medical doctors
Scottish medical writers
Scottish literary critics
Burials at the Dean Cemetery
People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
University of Vienna alumni
Charles University alumni
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish pathologists
19th-century British journalists
British male journalists