Dr James Wilson (1765–1821) was a British anatomist. A pupil of

John Hunter John Hunter may refer to: Politics *John Hunter (British politician) (1724–1802), British Member of Parliament for Leominster * John Hunter (Canadian politician) (1909–1993), Canadian Liberal MP for Parkdale, 1949–1957 *Sir John Hunter ( ...

, he took over Hunter's position teaching anatomy at the Great Windmill Street School in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. He is

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

of Wilson's muscle in the constrictor urethræ. His anatomical collection was donated to the Surgeon's Hall in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and it is now known as the James Wilson Collection.

Life

He was born in

Beith Beith (locally ) is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) afte ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

. His family moved to London in his youth, and he then became assistant to Dr William Cumberland Cruikshank: he made dissections for Cruikshank and John Hunter. He also studied under William Hunter and

Matthew Baillie Matthew Baillie FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and pathologist, credited with first identifying transposition of the great vessels (TGV) and situs inversus. Early life and education Matthew Baillie was born ...

. He then became a demonstrator and lecturer on anatomy; and was licensed to teach classes in

surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

; he attracted naval and military men, and James McGrigor was among his pupils. His private lectures were then taken over by Benjamin Brodie, and Wilson concentrated on the Great Windmill Street School. Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, ''Medical Portrait Gallery'' vol. 2 (1838), ''James Wilson F.R.S''
Google Books

Family

Wilson married the sister of John Clarke. The physician James Arthur Wilson was their son.aim25.ac.uk, Royal College of Physicians, ''Wilson, James and Wilson, James Arthur''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, James 1765 births 1821 deaths Scottish anatomists Fellows of the Royal Society

Life

Family

See also

Notes