Sir John Rose Cormack (1 March 1815 – 13 May 1882) was a Scottish physician and medical journalist. He established several notable British journals: the ''Edinburgh Monthly Journal of Medical Science''; the ''London Medical Journal''; and the ''Associated Medical Journal'' (a predecessor of the ''

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...

'').

Life

He was born in Stow in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

on 1 March 1815, the son of Helen Rose, sister of Sir John Rose of Holm, and local minister, Rev John Cormack DD. He attended the

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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 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 MD in 1837, having won the Harveian Prize in 1836 and a gold medal in 1837 for his thesis on the presence of air (oxygen) in the organs of circulation. Following graduation he visited

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and then did a tour of both

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and

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before returning to Edinburgh to set up as a physician. He was appointed Physician to 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 ...

in 1841 and in the same month founded the Edinburgh Monthly Journal of Medical Science. During this time he also operated a Dispensary from 131

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

. In 1842 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 ...

. In 1843, 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 ...

; his proposer being Sir Robert Christison. In 1847, he moved to

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

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 founded both the ''London Medical Journal'' and the ''Associated Medical Journal''. In 1858, he moved to

, France, heading the Hertford British Hospital in that city. In the

Siege of Paris (1870–1871) The siege of Paris took place from 19 September 1870 to 28 January 1871 and ended in the capture of the city by forces of the various states of the North German Confederation, led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The siege was the culmination of the F ...

he showed exemplary effort tending the English and French wounded, often from his own house on Rue D’Agnesseau, the French government awarding him a

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

in consequence, and a French MD degree. His pupils included Dr John Francis Sutherland. He was knighted 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 1872 for the same role.

Family

He married Eliza Anne Hine in 1842 and they had seven daughters and four sons, four daughters and one son surviving him. One son, Dr Baillie Cormack, assisted him during the Siege of Paris and died in 1876.''

'': obituary: 20 May 1882

Freemasonry

Cormack was a Scottish Freemason. He was Initiated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No. 2, on 30 November 1835. The entry in the Lodge's records state that he was 'M.D. Paris.'History of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, compiled from the records 1677-1888
By Alan MacKenzie. 1888. p. 239

Death

He died of chronic disease of the prostate and bladder at his home on Rue St Honore in

on 13 May 1882.

Positions held

*Senior President to the Edinburgh Royal Medical Society, 1837-

Publications

*Translation of

Georges Phillipe Trousseau Georges Phillipe Trousseau (1 May 1833 – 4 May 1894) was a French physician who became the royal doctor of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and engaged in a variety of agricultural ventures. Biography Georges Phillipe Trousseau was born in Paris on 1 Ma ...

’s ''Clinical Lectures'' (four volumes)

References

External links

Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, (Edinburgh)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cormack, John Rose 1815 births 1882 deaths 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from the Scottish Borders Scottish Freemasons Medical journal editors Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh