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, for whom Pitcairn Island is named. William Pitcairn studied first at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

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 th ...

in 1749. He moved to London and became physician to

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

. He became a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

and gave their Goulstonian lectures in 1752. He became their List of Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians, President from 1775 to 1784.Pitcairn, William (1712–1791), physician
Primary authority: Oxford DNB He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1770 as someone "distinguished by his application to Botany and success in rearing scarce and foreign plants". The bromeliad genus ''Pitcairnia'' 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