Prof John Halliday Scott

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 Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(28 December 1851 – 25 February 1914) was a Scottish-born New Zealand university professor, artist and medical school dean.

Early life and education

He was born John Lidderdale Scott at 13 Drummond Place 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 ...

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in 1851. His parents were Marion Shaw Lidderdale and Andrew Scott ( WS). He was educated at Edinburgh Institution and then studied medicine at 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 ...

, graduating with an

MB ChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 1874. He then went on to take the

Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (MRCS) is a postgraduate diploma for surgeons in the UK and Ireland. Obtaining this qualification allows a doctor to become a member of one of the four surgical colleges in the UK and Ireland, namel ...

postgraduate diploma in 1876. The adoption of the middle name "Halliday" appears a homage to his university professor:

John Halliday Croom Sir John Halliday Croom FRSE PRCPE PRCSE (15 January 1847 – 27 September 1923) was a Scottish surgeon and medical author. He served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Life He was born in the manse at Sanquhar in sou ...

Career

He obtained a position as House Surgeon at 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 ...

then Stirling Royal Infirmary. He returned to Edinburgh as a Demonstrator in Anatomy 1876/77 and obtained his doctorate (M.D.) in 1877. He was elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) 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 establis ...

in May 1880. His proposers were Sir

Charles Wyville Thomson Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (5 March 1830 – 10 March 1882) was a Scottish natural historian and marine zoologist. He served as the chief scientist on the ''Challenger'' expedition; his work there revolutionized oceanography and led to his ...

, Sir William Turner,

Daniel John Cunningham Daniel John Cunningham, (15 April 1850 – 23 July 1909) was a Scottish physician, zoologist, and anatomist, famous for ''Cunningham's Text-book of Anatomy'' and ''Cunningham's Manual of Practical Anatomy''. Biography Cunningham was born ...

and Sir John Murray. Scott practiced in Scotland for a time before he was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in 1877. He sailed to New Zealand on SS Ringarooma arriving on 27 July 1877. His first home in Dunedin was a semi-detached house on St David Street (later named Scott Street in his honour). He was appointed Dean of Medicine in 1891 remaining in the post until his death in 1914.

Personal life

In 1882 he returned to Britain during the summer vacation (winter in UK) and in January 1883 married Helen Gardner Bealey (d.1899) in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

. She returned with him to New Zealand and they had two daughters and three sons. One son was Robert Hannay Scott who was killed in action at the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

in World War I. He joined the Otago Art Society and was its Secretary for 30 years and was a member of the Otago Institute. After a series of small strokes he died of a cerebral haemorrhage in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

on 25 February 1914.

Artistic works

Scott was a gifted artist and also a competent photographer. *''Lusitania Bay'' (1880) *''

Moeraki Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railwa ...

Builders'' (1889)

Publications

*
Contribution to the Osteology of the Aborigines of New Zealand and of the Chatham Islands.
' Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 26, 1893.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, John Halliday 1851 births 1914 deaths Medical doctors from Edinburgh People educated at Stewart's Melville College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand artists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Academic staff of the University of Otago