Matthew Baillie
FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and
pathologist
Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
, credited with first identifying
transposition of the great vessels
Transposition of the great vessels (TGV) is a group of congenital heart defects involving an abnormal spatial arrangement of any of the great vessels: superior and/or inferior venae cavae, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and aorta. Congen ...
(TGV) and
situs inversus
''Situs inversus'' (also called ''situs transversus'' or ''oppositus'') is a Congenital disorder, congenital condition in which the major Organ (anatomy), visceral organs are reversed or mirror image, mirrored from their normal positions. The norm ...
.
Early life and education
Matthew Baillie was born in the manse at
Shotts
Shotts is a small town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow () and Edinburgh (). The town has a population of about 8,840. A local story has Shotts being named after the legendary giant highwayman Bertra ...
in
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
, the son of Rev Prof James Baillie DD (1723-1778) and his wife, Dorothea Hunter (sister of
Dr John Hunter and
Dr William Hunter.
His father was Professor of Divinity at
Glasgow University
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...
. His sisters were centenarian Agnes Baillie (1760-1861) and poet/author
Joanna Baillie. He was a pupil of his uncle, the anatomist
John Hunter and his father-in-law,
Dr. Thomas Denman, a pre-eminent obstetrician in London at the turn of the nineteenth century, whose textbook on childbirth had been first published in 1788. Baillie was educated at the Old Grammar School of Hamilton (renamed the
Hamilton Academy in 1848), 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 obtained his MD from the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1789, having been named
Snell Exhibitioner in 1779.
Career
He was bequeathed £5000n on the death of his uncle
William Hunter in 1783, also inheriting his uncle's house in Great Windmill Street in London, plus the adjacent
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
and museum. Baillie taught at the school from 1783 to 1803.
He then taught anatomy and was appointed Physician at
St George's Hospital in 1789, but gave up both posts to establish his own medical practice in Grosvenor Square, becoming Physician in Ordinary to George III. He became Fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
in 1790, specialising in
morbid anatomy.
He 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 ...
in 1790 and delivered their
Croonian Lecture
The Croonian Medal and Lecture is a prestigious award, a medal, and lecture given at the invitation of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians.
Among the papers of William Croone at his death in 1684, was a plan to endow a singl ...
in 1791 (on the subject of muscles). He was also the second President of the
Medical and Chirurgical Society of London 1808–1810.
It was said of him,
Death
Baillie died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
on 23 September 1823 in Duntisbourne, Gloucestershire, England at the age of 61 and was buried in
Duntisbourne Abbots, Gloucestershire. There is also a memorial to him within
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. The memorial (with bust) is by
James Heffernan working in the studio of
Francis Chantrey
Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...
.
Family
Baillie was married to Sophia Denman, the sister of
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman.
Works
His 1793 book, ''The Morbid Anatomy of Some of the Most Important Parts of the Human Body,'' is considered the first systematic study of pathology, and the first publication in English on pathology as a separate subject. He is credited with first identifying
transposition of the great vessels
Transposition of the great vessels (TGV) is a group of congenital heart defects involving an abnormal spatial arrangement of any of the great vessels: superior and/or inferior venae cavae, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and aorta. Congen ...
(TGV) and ''
situs inversus
''Situs inversus'' (also called ''situs transversus'' or ''oppositus'') is a Congenital disorder, congenital condition in which the major Organ (anatomy), visceral organs are reversed or mirror image, mirrored from their normal positions. The norm ...
''. The 1793 book went into multiple editions and was translated into numerous languages, and five editions were released in Britain before his death.
* ''The Morbid Anatomy of Some of the Most Important Parts of the Human Body'' (1793)
* ''Anatomy of the Gravid Uterus, by William Hunter published by Baillie'' (1794)
* ''A Series of Engravings, tending to illustrate the Morbid Anatomy of some of the most Important Parts of the Human Body'' (1799, 1802, 1812)
* ''Lectures and Observations on Medicine by the late Matthew Baillie'' (1825)
* ''An Account of a Particular Change of Structure in the Human Ovarium'' (Philosophical Transactions, London, 1789, Vol.79, pp. 71–78)
References
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Further reading
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See also
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Dr. Sir Richard Croft, 6th Baronet
*
Hunterian Collection
External links
AIM25: Royal College of Physicians: BAILLIE, Matthew (1761–1823)Royal College of Physicians.
Balliol College, Oxford, archivesList of Snell Exhibitioners from the University of Glasgow. Retrieved 2011-01-20
Selected images from ''A series of engravings''From The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baillie, Matthew
1761 births
1823 deaths
People from Shotts
People educated at Hamilton Academy
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Scottish anatomists
18th-century Scottish medical doctors
19th-century Scottish medical doctors
Scottish pathologists
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Fellows of the Royal Society
Alumni of the University of Oxford