William Mackie FRSE DPH LLD (1856-1932) was a Scottish physician and public health specialist, remembered for his contributions to

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

Geology

1904 Dr Mackie proposed a basic theory for plate tectonics in a lecture to the Elgin Institute

Life

He was born in

Durno Durno or Logie Durno, located north west of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is the site of a Roman marching camp, first discovered by aerial photography in July 1975 and Excavation (archaeology), excavated in 1976 and 1977. With a total ...

in rural Aberdeenshire on 28 April 1856. He was educated at the parish school in

Garioch Garioch ( sco, The Geerie, , gd, Gairbheach) is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 46,254 (2006 estimate), which gives it the largest population of Aberdeenshire's six committee areas. The Garioch con ...

then Old Aberdeen Grammar School. He studied Medicine at

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 ...

graduating MB ChB in 1888. He spent most of his life in the Elgin area, first as a GP and then as

Medical Officer of Health A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

. From 1910 to 1913 he did extensive studies of the Rhynie area in Aberdeenshire and was the first person to discover plant-bearing

chert Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a ...

s. In 1918 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

John Horne John Horne PRSE FRS FRSE FEGS LLD (1 January 1848 – 30 May 1928) was a Scottish geologist. He served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1915 to 1919. Life Horne was born on 1 January 1848, in Campsie, Stirlingshire, the ...

Ben Peach Benjamin Neeve Peach (6 September 1842 – 29 January 1926) was a British geologist. Life Peach was born at Gorran Haven in Cornwall on 6 September 1842 to Jemima Mabson and Charles William Peach, an amateur British naturalist and geologist ...

, Sir

John Smith Flett Sir John Smith Flett (26 June 1869 – 26 January 1947) was a Scottish physician and geologist. Early life Born in Kirkwall, Orkney, the son of James Ferguson Flett, a merchant and baillie, and Mary Ann (née Copland). He was educated at Kir ...

and

Robert Kidston Dr Robert Kidston, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE LLD (29 June 1852 – 13 July 1924) was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist. Life He was born in Bishopton House in Renfrewshire on 29 June 1852 the youngest of twelve children of Robe ...

. Aberdeen University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) for his contributions to Geology in 1923. He was President of the Edinburgh Geological Society from 1925 to 1927. He resigned from the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1932. He died in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 15 July 1932.

References

[1
The origin of oceans and continents : lecture
1856 births 1932 deaths People from Aberdeenshire Scottish geologists 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{UK-geologist-stub