Sir Hector Clare Cameron, (born 30 September 1843 in

Demerara Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

, died 22 November 1928 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

) was a

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

who was most notable for being

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Professor of Clinical Surgery at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

and President of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow between 1897 and 1900. Cameron was house-surgeon to

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of aseptic, antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the Sur ...

and by 1887 assisted him in private practice. They eventually became life-long friends.

Life

Cameron was the second son of Donald Charles Cameron, who owned a

Sugar plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobacc ...

called Plantation Zeelugt in

Uitvlugt Uitvlugt (pronounced "owt-flut") is a village in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. On the coastal public road on the west bank of the Demerara River, it lies immediately to the west of Stewartville, Guyana, Stewartville and to t ...

. Sent home to start his education in Saint Andrews, Cameron took his early education at

Madras College Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell. History Madras Col ...

. Afterwards, Cameron became a student at the United College

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

. Cameron moved to 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 ...

to begin his medical training, but it was at the

where he undertook the majority of his training with Sir

, who was a professor of surgery. In 1866 he achieved his Medicine (M.B.) and Surgery (C.M.) qualification and

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

(M.D) in 1868. He married Frances Stoddard MacDonald in 1872 but she died in 1879 at age 31. The marriage produced two daughters and two sons, the younger of whom was

Hector Charles Cameron Hector Charles Cameron (17 July 1878, Glasgow – 1 April 1958) was a British physician and paediatrician. Biography Hector Charles Cameron, the younger son of Sir Hector Clare Cameron, was known as Charles Cameron. He was educated at Clifton Co ...

. On 22 November 1928, Sir Hector Clare Cameron died at his house at 18 Woodside Crescent, Glasgow. He is buried with his family at the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian era, Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of St. Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have ...

. The grave lies at the south end of one of the rows at the east side of the upper plateau.

Career

At the University of Glasgow, Cameron studied under the supervision of Lister, to such an extent that he became Lister's house surgeon in 1868, and ultimately his assistant. When Lister moved to the

in 1869 to take up the Chair of Clinical Surgery, Cameron was offered inducements to move east with Lister, but decided to stay in Glasgow. Cameron by then was fully convinced of Lister's techniques, and became one its leading propagandist's of the young antiseptic school, continuing both its precept and practice of those techniques in Glasgow and the west of Scotland. As Lister's techniques proved themselves, Cameron quickly became recognised as a factor in improved surgical recovery. Due to this, Cameron was rapidly promoted. In 1873, he became a visiting surgeon at the

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

. In 1881, Cameron was promoted again, with a move to the

Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in Yorkhill in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved ...

in Glasgow, as a senior visiting surgeon, relinquishing his previous position. In 1900, Cameron was promoted to the Professor in Clinical Surgery at Glasgow University, by the

University Court A university court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom and other countries. In most older universities of England and Wales, the court is part of the governance structure and acts as a forum for local stakeholders from ...

with the passing of Professor

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

who held the first Chair in Clinical Surgery. Cameron held the position until 1910, when he resigned both his professorship and surgical rounds. Cameron held many other positions during his working life. He was a surgeon at the

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow The West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital is a healthcare facility in Yorkhill, Glasgow. The new ambulatory care facility was created in December 2015 to house the remaining outpatient services and the minor injury unit previously housed at the ...

, consulting surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Asylum, surgeon to the Glasgow Eye Infirmary and the Glasgow

Lock hospital A lock hospital was an establishment that specialised in treating venereal disease, sexually transmitted diseases. They operated in Britain and its colonies and territories from the 18th century to the 20th. History The military had a close ...

. For many years he was a member of the University of Glasgow court, as a representative of the Senate, representing the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...

and the

Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is a global community of over 15,000 Members working together to develop skills, knowledge and leadership to drive the highest standards in healthcare. For 425 years, the Royal College of ...

. Cameron was also an

examiner Examiner or The Examiner may refer to: Occupations * Bank examiner, a kind of auditor * Examiner (Roman Catholicism), a type of office in the Roman Catholic Church * Examinership, a concept in Irish law * Medical examiner * Patent examiner * ...

at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

. In 1892 Cameron retired from hospital. The decision to leave surgery and the clinical chair in 1910 was one of the severest ordeals of his life. In a private letter, he contemplated the move: :''In

De Quincey De Quincy, De Quincey, DeQuincy, or DeQuincey is a name. It can occur as both a masculine given name and as a surname. Geographically, it can be found in the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and New Zealand. Notable people with this name ...

Confessions quotes a passage from Dr Johnson and he says it is the only feeling that Dr Johnson ever made. It is this, 'No one does anything consciously for the last time, of those things which he has been long in the habit of doing without sadness of heart.'' The sentiment is a feeling one, because it is so truly natural and human. When I, therefore, some day soon, realise that I am making my last hospital visit (I have been making for thirty-six years, since 1874) I know I shall feel very sad indeed. The mere anticipation weighs on my spirit' Glasgow University awarded Hector Cameron an

LL.D A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

both in appreciation of his career and recognition of the importance of his work. At his sending off dinner, Cameron received a

loving cup A loving cup is a large cup with two arching handles. It can describe a shared drinking container traditionally used at Christian lovefeasts, as well as at weddings and banquets, often made of silver. Loving cups are also given as trophy, trop ...

in the shape of a

quaich A quaich , Archaism, archaically quaigh or quoich, is a special kind of shallow two-handled Drinking#Alcoholic beverages, drinking cup or Bowl (vessel), bowl of a type traditional in Scotland. It derives from the Scottish Gaelic (), meaning ...

with the inscription ''HCC Magistro carrissimo Discipuli MCMX'' During the period before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Cameron continued in private practice, only occasionally operating, and has several civic positions. From 1911, Cameron became a Justice of the peace for the County and City of Glasgow. At the start of World War I, he became a commissioner for the

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is an indep ...

for the Western District of Scotland, in charge of supervising auxiliary hospitals with almost 2000 beds.

Society

In 1878, Cameron became a fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. From 1997 to 1900 Cameron was President of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and for 15 years was the Faculty representative to

, and whose service was recognised by Queen Victoria by a knighthood.

Address to the Pathological and Clinical Society of Glasgow

On 15 February 1881, Cameron gave an introductory address on being elected President of the Pathological and Clinical Society of Glasgow at Faculty Hall, 242 St Vincents Street, Glasgow.

James Watson Lectures

In February 1906, Cameron held the James Watson Lecture.

Awards and honours

Cameron received several awards, and appreciated them, although he never sought them, they gave pleasure to his friends and patients. Cameron received a brief note that contained a poem from an old Scottish lady, who was a former patient and who wrote to him on the occasion of his

Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

awarded by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1900. The old lady wrote: :''Some háe sought it, some háe bought it, you háe wrought it.'' In 1918 Cameron's services as commissioner were recognised and he was awarded a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

References

External links

*
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Heritage Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Hector Clare 1843 births 1928 deaths Scottish surgeons Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow People from Demerara-Mahaica British Guiana people