Patrick Small Keir Newbigging

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". ...

FRSSA The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by Sir David Brewster in 1821 and dedicated ...

FRCSE (1813–1864) was a Scottish surgeon and general practitioner. He was President of the Royal Medical Society and of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts. Together with his father, Sir William Newbigging he formed one of the few father-son pairs of former Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His observations on the origin of the heart sounds and of the apex beat of the heart made a significant contribution to the debate.

Early life

He was born at 18 St Andrew Square in

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the son of Lilias Steuart and her husband, the Edinburgh surgeon Sir William Newbigging. 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 ...

. While a student he joined the

Royal Medical Society The Royal Medical Society (RMS) is a society run by students at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland. It claims to be the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based ...

and gave a dissertation to the Society in 1833 on the origin of heart sounds and pulsations. In this he suggested that the

apex beat The apex beat (lat. ''ictus cordis''), also called the apical impulse, is the pulse felt at the point of maximum impulse (PMI), which is the point on the precordium farthest outwards (laterally) and downwards (inferiorly) from the sternum at wh ...

was produced by ventricular

systole Systole ( ) is the part of the cardiac cycle during which some chambers of the heart contract after refilling with blood. Its contrasting phase is diastole, the relaxed phase of the cardiac cycle when the chambers of the heart are refilling ...

and not

diastole Diastole ( ) is the relaxed phase of the cardiac cycle when the chambers of the heart are refilling with blood. The contrasting phase is systole when the heart chambers are contracting. Atrial diastole is the relaxing of the atria, and ventricul ...

as had been suggested by William Stokes and

Dominic Corrigan Sir Dominic John Corrigan, 1st Baronet (2 December 1802 – 1 February 1880), was an Irish physician, known for his original observations in heart disease. The abnormal "collapsing" pulse of aortic insufficiency, aortic valve insufficiency is na ...

and was the prevalent view at the time.Ed Med J 1864;9:773 He received his doctorate (MD), in 1834, writing his thesis on the same topic, under the title ''On the causes of the impulse and sounds of the heart.'' He became a Fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

in the same year and was elected President of the Royal Medical Society in 1835.

Medical career

Before settling into practice in Edinburgh he made a tour of medical centres in Europe, promoting his ideas on auscultation of the heart. He then joined his father in general practice in Edinburgh and was elected a medical officer to the New Town Dispensary. He was medical officer to

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, to Cauvin's Hospital and was one of the original physicians to the Sick Children's Hospital in Edinburgh. In 1845 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 ...

and the

Aesculapian Club The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and ...

. In 1847 he translated the ''Practical Treatise on Auscultation'' written by Jean Baptiste Barth and Henri-Louis Roger.

Offices held

In 1848 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 was

William Pulteney Alison William Pulteney Alison FRSE FRCPE FSA (12 November 1790 – 22 September 1859) was a Scottish physician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was a distinguished professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He served as president ...

. In 1850 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Scottish Society of the Arts The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by David Brewster, Sir David Brewster in 18 ...

and served as their President from 1861 to 1862. His father, Sir William Newbigging had been President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1814 to 1816. Patrick Newbigging followed in his father's footsteps serving as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1861 to 1863.

Latter years and death

In his final years he lived at 29 Heriot Row in the

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in Edinburgh, facing Queen Street Gardens.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1862-3 He died on 10 January 1864 and is buried with his wife in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

. The grave in section R plot 55 lies against the wall on the south-west spur from the cemetery.

Family

Newbigging was married to Mary Anne Cockburn (1823–1909). They had twin daughters, Eleanor Letitia Newbigging (later Thompson) (1848–1875) and Alice Horsford Newbigging (1848–1911). They had one son, Alexander Cecil Newbigging (1853–1944). His older brother John Steuart Newbigging became a

Writer to the Signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documen ...

. He was sheriff-clerk of Roxburghshire from 1841 to 1849 and died in office.M H Kaufman ''Sir William Newbigging (1772–1852) and Patrick Newbigging (1813–1864) — Father and Son Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh'' J Med Biog (2004) Volume: 12 issue: 4, page(s): 189-195. https://doi.org/10.1177/096777200401200404 Two other brothers studied medicine. Robert Newbigging, a President of the Royal Medical Society, died in office during the 1832-3 session. George Stewart Newbigging, graduated MD from the University of Edinburgh in 1837 became FRCSE the same year.

References