Sir William Fordyce (1724 – 4 December 1792) was a Scottish physician.

Life

The son of Provost George Fordyce (1663-1733) of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, and brother of

David Fordyce David Fordyce (1711, Broadford, Aberdeenshire – 1751) was a Scottish philosopher, a contributor to the Scottish Enlightenment. Fordyce was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen (MA, 1728). He entered the ministry and returned to Marischal as ...

, was born at Aberdeen in 1724, and educated at

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has been the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. The building was constructed for and is on long-term lease fr ...

; also serving a medical pupilage with a local practitioner and with his brother John at

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. ...

in 1743. His mother Janet Blackwell was daughter of Rev Dr Thomas Blackwell principal of

. Her siblings included Thomas Blackwell and

Alexander Blackwell Alexander Blackwell (17001747) was a Scotland, Scottish adventurer. He was born in Aberdeen, the son of Thomas Blackwell (principal), Rev Dr Thomas Blackwell principal of Marischal College in Aberdeen, and his wife Christian Johnston of Glasgow ...

. He was admitted a member of the Medical Society in Edinburgh on 22 December 1744. He then volunteered for the army during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

which ended in 1748, and obtained an appointment as surgeon to the Guards, with whom he served in three campaigns. Probably after the peace he travelled and studied in France. He was at

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

in 1750. While retaining his connection with the army, he entered on general practice in London, and this and the growing fame of his brothers gained him introduction. In 1770 he was created M.D. at Cambridge by royal mandate, and was admitted licentiate 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 ...

on 10 April 1786. He was knighted by George III in 1787, and in the same year became

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 ...

. He aided his brother

Alexander Fordyce Alexander Fordyce (7 August 1729 – 8 September 1789) was a Scottish banker, centrally involved in the bank run on Neale, James, Fordyce and Down which led to the credit crisis of 1772. He fled abroad and was declared bankrupt, but in time h ...

to his rise of fortune, and suffered a heavy loss when he failed, taking upon himself the burden of his brother

James Fordyce James Fordyce, Doctor of Divinity, DD (1720–1 October 1796), was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and poet. He is best known for his collection of sermons published in 1766 as ''Sermons for Young Women'', popularly known as ''Fordyce's Sermon ...

's loss also. The

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

voted him a gold medal for his work on

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

. He died at Brook Street,

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...

, after a long illness, on 4 December 1792, aged 68. At the time of his death he was lord rector of Marischal College, to which he left £1,000.

Works

Fordyce's works (all published in London) are: *''A Review of the Venereal Disease and its Remedies'', 1767, fifth edition 1785; German translation, Altenburg, 1769. *''A New Inquiry into the Causes, Symptoms, and Cure of Putrid and Inflammatory Fevers, with an Appendix on the Hectic Fever and on the Ulcerated Sore Throat'', 1773, fourth edition 1777; German translation, Leipzig, 1774. *''The Great Importance and Proper Method of Cultivating and Curing Rhubarb in Britain for Medical Uses'', 1784. *''Fragmenta Chirurgica et Medica'', 1784. *''Letter to Sir John Sinclair on the Virtues of Muriatic Acid in curing Putrid Diseases'', 1790.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fordyce, William 1724 births 1792 deaths 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Fellows of the Royal Society Health professionals from Aberdeen Rectors of the University of Aberdeen