William Pitcairn (9 May 1712 – 25 November 1791) was a Scottish physician and botanist. He was born in Dysart, Fife, the second son of the Revd David Pitcairn. A younger brother was

John Pitcairn Major John Pitcairn (28 December 1722 – 17 June 1775) was a Marine Service officer who was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, at the start of the American War of Independence. Born in Scotland in 1722, Pitcairn joined the Naval Service at ...

, who became a British Marine officer and was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill; John's son and William's nephew was midshipman

Robert Pitcairn Robert Pitcairn (May 6, 1836 – July 25, 1909) was a Scottish-American railroad executive who headed the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 19th century. He was the brother of the PPG Industries, Pittsburgh Plate Glass ...

, for whom

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...

is named. William Pitcairn studied first at the University of Leiden and then at the University of Rheims, where he was awarded his MD. He then sent to England and obtained a second degree in medicine from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1749. He moved to London and became physician to St Bartholomew's Hospital. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and gave their

Goulstonian lectures The Goulstonian Lectures are an annual lecture series given on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians in London. They began in 1639. The lectures are named for Theodore Goulston (or Gulston, died 1632), who founded them with a bequest A beque ...

in 1752. He became their

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

from 1775 to 1784.Pitcairn, William (1712–1791), physician
Primary authority: Oxford DNB He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1770 as someone "distinguished by his application to Botany and success in rearing scarce and foreign plants". The bromeliad genus ''

Pitcairnia ''Pitcairnia'' is a genus of plants in the Family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It was named for William Pitcairn, Scottish physician and gardener (1711–1791). The genus ''Pitcairnia'' ranks as the second most prol ...

'' is named for him. He died in Islington, London on 25 November 1791 and was buried in a vault in the church of St Bartholomew the Less, London within the hospital walls.

References

Royal Society Library and Archive CatalogWilliam Pitcairn, MD (1712–1791)—a biographical sketch
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians 1712 births 1791 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society People from Dysart, Fife 18th-century British botanists 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish botanists Leiden University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Reims University (1548–1793) alumni {{Scotland-botanist-stub