Dr David Berry Hart

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRCPE 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 ...

(12 October 1851 – 10 June 1920) was a Scottish gynaecological surgeon and academic.

Life

David Berry Hart was born in

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

on 12 October 1851. He graduated M.B., C.M. 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 1877. Specialising in

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and gynaecology, he continued his studies and obtained his doctorate MD in 1880, with a gold medal and the Syme Surgical Fellowship on "''The Structural Anatomy of the female pelvic floor''". He was Secretary of the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society between 1879 and 1883 and became President in 1890. He was also Librarian to 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 1888 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

Andrew Douglas Maclagan Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan PRSE FRCPE FRCSE FCS FRSSA (17 April 1812, in Ayr – 5 April 1900, in Edinburgh) was a Scottish surgeon, toxicologist and scholar of medical jurisprudence. He served as president of 5 learned societies: the Royal ...

, Sir

Alexander Russell Simpson Sir Alexander Russell Simpson FRCPE FRSE LLD (20 April 1835–6 April1916) was a Scottish physician and Professor of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He invented the axis-traction forceps also known as the obstetrics forceps which ...

Sir William Turner Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916. Life Turner was born in Lancaster ...

, and Sir

German Sims Woodhead Sir German Sims Woodhead, KBE FRSE PRMS LLD (29 April 1855 – 29 December 1921) was an English pathologist. Life He was born at Woodland Mount, a large country house near Huddersfield, on 29 April 1855 the son of Joseph Woodhead, a newspap ...

. Dr Hart lived in an exceptionally fine

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

townhouse designed by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...

at 29

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended ...

in Edinburgh's First New Town. He was an examiner in midwifery in the universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Birmingham and Liverpool. He was devoted to

Liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

and the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

. In later life he lived at 5 Randolph Cliff on the edge of the Moray Estate in Edinburgh's affluent West End. He died in Edinburgh on 10 June 1920.

Family

His maternal grandfather, David Berry, had been a builder in Edinburgh. His wife was Jessie Smith Welsh Berry, a first cousin, and they had two daughters and two sons. His daughter, Elsa Margaret Berry Hart (d.1961) married the Hon Robert Hepburne-Scott (1873–1950). A granddaughter was Marian Lines, a writer and

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

, and his grandson David Berry-Hart, painter and sculptor. A great-grandchild is Tess Berry-Hart, playwright and novelist.

Professional interests

Professor Hart wrote nine books and more than 70 papers. Among these were "''Manual of Gynaecology''", "''Guide to Midwifery''" and "''Some Phases of Evolution''". He contributed an article on "''Hermaphrodism in Man''" for "''Encyclopaedia Medica''". Regarded by others as a tour de force of dubious utility, he drew on

Mendelian Mendelian inheritance (also known as Mendelism) is a type of biology, biological Heredity, inheritance following the principles originally proposed by Gregor Mendel in 1865 and 1866, re-discovered in 1900 by Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns, an ...

principles with singular vigour. The sides of the

vulval vestibule The vulval vestibule (or vulvar vestibule or vestibule of vagina) is a part of the vulva between the labia minora into which the urinary meatus (urethral opening) and the vaginal opening open. Its edge is marked by Hart's line. It represents the ...

are visible as Hart’s line on the inside of the inner lips. Hart's line is the outer edge of the area and marks the change from vulvar skin to the smoother transitional skin of the vulva.

Honours

* Honorary Fellow of the American Gynaecological Society * Honorary Fellow of the Berlin Obstetrical Society German. ″Gesellschaft für Geburtshilfe und Gynäkologie in Berlin (GGG)″ * Corresponding Fellow of the Leipzig Obstetrical Society, German. ″Gesellschaft für Geburtshilfe zu Leipzig″

Publications

*''Manual of Gynaecology'' (2 volumes), co-written with

Alexander Hugh Freeland Barbour Alexander Hugh Freeland Barbour LLD FRSE FRCPE (7 January 1856 – 11 June 1927) was a Scottish gynaecologist and noted medical author. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and co-author of the world-acclaimed ''M ...

(1882 + 1891) *''Atlas of the Female Pelvic Anatomy'' (1884) *''Phases of Evolution and Heredity'' (1910) *''Guide to Midwifery'' (1912)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, David Berry Scottish surgeons Scottish writers 1851 births 1920 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh