Dr William Craig FRSE FRCSE (28 March 1832 – 3 February 1922) was a Scottish surgeon and botanist. He was an expert on '' jaborandi'', an appetite suppressant.The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica, by Timothy F. Allen His collections and studies were largely focussed upon Perthshire in central Scotland.

Life

He was born in Avondale, South Lanarkshire on 28 March 1832 the son of John Craig, a farmer at High Ploughland. He originally studied arts and divinity 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 , ...

, then in later life studied medicine and more pharmaceutical type subjects, graduating MB CM 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 ...

in 1868. He qualified as a doctor (MD) in 1870. He lectured on Materia Medica and Therapeutics at the

Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women The Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women was established by Elsie Inglis and her father John Inglis. Elsie Inglis went on to become a leader in the suffrage movement and found the Scottish Women's Hospital organisation in World War I, but whe ...

on Chambers Street, Edinburgh and at the Extra-Mural Medical School 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 ...

. In 1875 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

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 Kee ...

, Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan, Alexander Dickson and

Thomas Alexander Goldie Balfour Thomas Alexander Goldie Balfour FRCPE, FRSE (28 May 1825 – 10 March 1895) was a Scottish physician and botanist. He was the father of Sir Andrew Balfour. Life Thomas Balfour was born in Edinburgh to Andrew Balfour and Magdalene Goldie Balfour ...

. He served as president of the Edinburgh Botanical Society in 1887–89. In 1878 he was made a fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

. He died at home, 71 Bruntsfield Place in south-west

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, on 3 February 1922, aged 89.

Publications

See * ''Notes on Jaborandi'' (Oliver & Boyd 1876) * ''Changed Aloin and the Resin of Aloes'' (1875) * ''Plant Ecology and Diversity: Notes on the Drug called Jaborandi'' (1875)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, William 1832 births 1922 deaths People from South Lanarkshire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish botanists 19th-century Scottish botanists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh