Dr John Michael Dewar MD

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". ...

FRCPE The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty (medicine), specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was establish ...

(1883 – 24 May 1941) was a Scottish gynaecologist and ornithologist specialising in diving birds and waders. In publication he is usually referred to as J. M. Dewar.

Life

He was the son of Agnes Baillie Anderson and her husband, Dr Michael Dewar (1850–1925). His early education was at

George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eighteenth ...

. He 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 ...

and graduated with an MB ChB in 1904, and gained an MD in 1914. He made complex studies and calculations of the dives of diving birds to discover the co-relation between length of dive and depth reached. In 1912 he published papers on the evolution of wading birds, and in 1915 an important paper on sense of direction in birds, of much relevance to migration. At this time he lived at 24 Lauriston Place, a flat opposite the

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary 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 Comi ...

next to

George Heriot’s School George Heriot's School is a private primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Lauriston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. It was ...

. He was elected 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 1938. His proposers were

Edwin Bramwell Edwin Bramwell FRSE Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, FRCPE (11 January 1873 – 21 March 1952) was a British Neurology, neurologist. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1933 to 1935. Life He was b ...

, James Ritchie,

Charles Henry O'Donoghue Charles Henry O'Donoghue FRSE FZS (23 September 1885 – 28 November 1961) was an English zoologist who studied molluscs, a malacologist. His publications mostly deal with sea slugs and he also named a number of Bryozoans. A collection of over 70 ...

, and

William Thomas Ritchie Professor William Thomas Ritchie FRSE PRCPE LLD OBE (3 November 1873 – 7 February 1945) was a Scottish cardiologist who served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1935 to 1937. Life He was born on 3 November 18 ...

. He served as a Civilian Medical Officer to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and at the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was co-opted as Assistant Physician to

. He died on 24 May 1941. He is buried with his parents and sister in Morningside Cemetery in southern Edinburgh. The grave lies on the southern edge, slightly east of the south entrance.

Publications

*''The Bird as a Diver'' (1924) *''Timing the Underwater Activity of Diving Birds''''British Birds'', vol. 33 *''Dictionary of the Habits and Behaviours of Birds'' (1941-unpublished)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, John Michael 1883 births 1941 deaths People educated at George Watson's College Scottish ornithologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish zoologists Scottish gynaecologists 20th-century Scottish medical doctors