Prof William Stuart Mcrae Craig FRSE FRCP FRCPE (19 July 1903 – 1975) was an English physician and medical author. He was a pioneer in the field of community and preventive paediatrics. He was author of the book ''Care of the Newly Born Infant''.

Life

He was born on 19 July 1903 the son of Catherine Jane Stuart and her husband, Dr William Craig a GP in

Bingley Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which had a population of 18,294 at the 2011 Census. Bingley railwa ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. He was educated at Bingley Grammar School and then George Watson’s College in

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 ...

. Originally intending a different career he graduated with a BSc in

naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and ...

in 1924 from 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 , ...

. He work for a year or two in the

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

shipyards, and then decided to retrain and follow in his father’s footsteps as a physician. He graduated with

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 ...

from 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 1930, and MD in 1933. His first appointment was as Assistant Paediatrician to Charles McNeil at the

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh The Royal Hospital for Sick Children was a hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, specialising in paediatric healthcare. Locally, it was commonly referred to simply as the "Sick Kids". The hospital provided emergency care for children from birth to ...

. Here he learnt the importance of prevention and social care in preference to future treatment. In 1936 he joined the Ministry of Health in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and in 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 opposi ...

became Medical Officer in charge of South-East Britain. He was elected a Fellow 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 1936. In 1937 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposers being

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 ...

Anderson Gray McKendrick Lt Col Anderson Gray McKendrick DSc FRSE (8 September 1876 – 30 May 1943) was a Scottish military physician and epidemiologist who pioneered the use of mathematical methods in epidemiology. Irwin (see below) commented on the quality of his wo ...

, Charles McNeil and

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1956. He retired to live in

Gifford, East Lothian } Gifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately south of Haddington and east of Edinburgh. It groups around the Colstoun Water (locally called Gifford Water) at the junction of the B6369 and B6 ...

in 1968. He died in

on 27 June 1975.The Lancet: obituary: 5 July 1975

Family

He married Beatrice Anne Hodgson, daughter of Thomas George Hodgson, in 1936. They had no children.

Publications

* ''Child and Adolescent Life in Health and Disease'' (1946) * ''Care of the Newly Born Infant'' (1955) plus five later editions. * ''John Thomson, Pioneer and Father of Scottish Paediatrics'' (1968) * ''The History of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh'' (1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, William Stuart Mcrae 1903 births 1975 deaths People educated at George Watson's College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People associated with Edinburgh