George Mackay (1861-1949) was a British ophthalmic surgeon. He served in the Department of Ophthalmology of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) was established in 1729, and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on, the Empire."In Com ...

, and was a member of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom, th
Scottish Ophthalmological Club
and the French Ophthalmological Society.

Early life and education

He was born near

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, but the family moved back to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

when he was 4 years old. He was educated at Clifton and Inverness Colleges and graduated MB CM with honours from the

in 188e and MD in 1888. He was awarded gold medal for his thesis, which was titled: ''A contribution to the study of hemianopsia of central origin: with special reference to acquired colour blindness and a clinical report of 4 cases.'' He specialised in ophthalmic surgery. During his post-graduate studies he spent some time in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Career

He became a Member of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England in 1883 and Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1886. After retiring from hospital practice he continued have an extensive private practice and became a Manager of the Royal Infirmary and President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1919-1921). He was most famous for performing cataract operations, done with the utmost steadiness and precision. "We remember a distinguished figure, walking to and from the Infirmary irreproachably dressed, with a well-cut morning coat, shining tall hat, and immaculate linen." In 1912 he was elected a member of the

Harveian Society of Edinburgh The Harveian Society of Edinburgh was founded in April 1782 by Andrew Duncan (physician, born 1744), Andrew Duncan. The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of the life and works of William Harvey, the physician who first correctly des ...

Personal life

As a student he enjoyed athletics and gymnastics, and in later life took up golf and fishing. He was also a member of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland, is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a pers ...

, the King's Bodyguard for Scotland. Gaelic literature, archaeology, anthropology and geology were also his interests. He is the son of Surgeon-General George Mackay, who served in the Indian Army, and was instrumental to the establishment of the Medical College of Madras. His great-grandfather wa
Lt-Col. George Mackay
whose wife
s portrait was painted by

Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a f ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Geoge 1861 births 1949 deaths Scottish ophthalmologists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh