William Montgomerie (1797–1856) was a Scottish military doctor with the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

, and later head of the medical department at

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. He is best known for promoting the use of

gutta-percha Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus ''Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae, which is primarily used to create a high-quality latex of the same name. The material is rigid, naturally biologically Chemically inert, inert, resilient, electrically n ...

in Europe. This material was an important

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

that made

submarine telegraph cable A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables were laid beginning in the 1850s and car ...

s possible. Montgomerie was involved in spice cultivation as head of the Singapore botanical experimental gardens and at his personal estate in Singapore. The latter never became economically viable, but he received a

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 ...

gold medal for

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...

cultivation. He was also responsible for building the first

lunatic asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

in Singapore. Montgomerie died at

Barrackpore Barrackpore (), also known as Barrackpore,is a city and municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the India, Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Barrackpore subdivision. The city is a part of the area covered by Ko ...

in India a few years after taking part in the

Second Anglo-Burmese War The Second Anglo-Burmese War or the Second Burma War ( ; 5 April 185220 January 1853) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese Empire and British Empire during the 19th century. The war resulted in a British victory with more ...

as Superintendent Surgeon.

Early life and family

Montgomerie was born in Scotland in 1797. In 1827, he married Elizabeth Graham in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. A son is mentioned in a newspaper article. His brother was Major-General Sir P. Montgomerie of the Madras Artillery who fought in the

First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

Career

In 1818, Montgomerie became a medical officer with the

and was posted to India. In May 1819, he was posted to Singapore with the 2nd Battalion of the 20th Regiment of

Bengal Native Infantry The regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, alongside the regiments of Bengal European Infantry, were the regular infantry components of the East India Company's Bengal Army from the raising of the first Native battalion in 1757 to the passing in ...

with the rank of Assistant Surgeon.The term "surgeon" was used by the military

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

to designate a medical officer's rank. It did not indicate whether or not the officer practiced surgery. Surgeon ranks, in order of descending seniority were; Surgeon-Major, Surgeon, Assistant Surgeon, Sub-assistant Surgeon (Teo, p. 25). Upon his arrival, he took over as senior surgeon of Singapore from a more junior officer, and was given the rank of acting Surgeon. In 1827, Montgomerie was posted back to

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. In 1835, the medical department headquarters was moved from

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

to Singapore, whereupon Montgomerie was made the head. He retired to England in January 1844. He was recalled to Bengal some years later as Garrison Surgeon at Fort William, Calcutta, and was Superintendent Surgeon in the field during the

(1852–1853). He died of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

, India, on 21 March 1856 and was buried in Fort William. While he was stationed at Singapore, Montgomerie was usually the doctor attending Singapore's leaders. These included

Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British Colonial Office, colonial official who served as the List of governors of the Dutch East Indies, governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieut ...

, the founder of Singapore, and

William Farquhar Major-General William Farquhar (26 February 1774 – 11 May 1839) was a Madras Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the resident of Malacca from 1803 to 1818 and the resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823. Early life Far ...

, who was stabbed by a would-be assassin in 1823. Farquhar had expressed concern over Montgomerie's youth when he arrived in Singapore in 1819. Montgomerie was very young at this point, even younger than the Sub-assistant Surgeon from whom he took over and was now in charge. If anything happened to Farquhar, Montgomerie would have been left in charge of Singapore as the next most senior official. Farquhar wrote to Calcutta asking them to put alternative arrangements in place. In Singapore, Montgomerie was appointed a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in 1819, head of the botanical experimental gardens in 1823 (where he concentrated on cultivating spices), and sheriff in 1837.

Agriculture

Montgomerie keenly pursued agriculture in Singapore. He owned the Duxton Hill estate for most of his time there, but never succeeded in making it profitable. It was sold after his death and briefly renamed "Woodsville". The area is now built-up and the name has reverted to Duxton Hill, a name also preserved in Duxton Road. The primary crop grown was sugar, but later he planted

trees. The estate was bounded by a river where Montgomerie had a large

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

. A short distance from the mill, the Serangoon Road crosses the river on a crossing known as Montgomerie's Bridge.

Spice cultivation

On his return to Singapore in 1835, Montgomerie found that the government spice plantations had been neglected. The

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...

crop had been destroyed by

blight Blight is a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organs. A ...

, but since the nutmeg trees still looked healthy, Montgomerie decided to start his own plantation with seeds procured from Penang. He believed that enough nutmeg could be grown in Singapore to supply the entire British Empire by 1850, and that the price could be driven down to something affordable by ordinary people. However, he complained that the government land leasing arrangements were not favourable in Singapore, and discouraged farming. He compared this to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(now known as

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, but at the time a British possession) where land could be bought outright. In 1842, Montgomerie sent a box of nutmeg and mace to the Society of Arts (later to become the Royal Society) for which he was awarded a gold medal.

Gutta-percha

Gutta-percha Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus ''Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae, which is primarily used to create a high-quality latex of the same name. The material is rigid, naturally biologically Chemically inert, inert, resilient, electrically n ...

is a

obtained from the sap of certain trees growing in the Far East. It hardens on exposure to air, but has the useful property of being

thermoplastic A thermoplastic, or thermosoftening plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains as ...

. It can be moulded to a new shape after boiling in water and will reharden when cool. It is credited with being the first

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

available to manufacturing industry. Montgomerie is sometimes credited with discovering the substance. He is responsible for it coming into widespread use, but it had in fact been known for some time by a few natives who used it to make handles for parangs (Malayan

machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

s) and other items. However, it was not widely known, even amongst native Malays. Montgomerie said that most people he showed it to could not recognise it. It had even made its way to Europe,As early as 1656, John Tradescant had brought a material to England which he called ''mazer wood'' and which is thought to be gutta-percha because of the similarity in its properties (''Straits Times'', 1884; Baker, p. 89).
José d'Almeida, a Portuguese doctor and trader in Singapore, also brought samples to the Society of Arts around the same time as Montgomerie after seeing native whips made from the material (Oxley, p. 22). but again, was not widely known. Montgomerie's discovery began in 1822 when he was shown a different natural rubber, ''gutta girek'', and was told of the existence of a harder material, ''gutta percha''. However, he could not obtain a sample at the time and did not get another opportunity until 1842 after he returned to Singapore. In that year a Malay showed him a parang with a gutta-percha handle. Montgomerie purchased the item and requested that more of the substance be provided. After experimentation, he concluded that its thermoplastic properties would be ideal for making many surgical instruments. The natural rubbers used for this purpose at the time were easily damaged by

solvent A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...

s and could not withstand the tropical climate. Montgomerie sent samples to the Calcutta Medical Board with a recommendation for its medical use. The board agreed with him and requested that he obtain as much as possible. Montgomerie also sent samples to the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

in London in 1843. He began an investigation into how widespread the tree was. He discovered that it was not only found in Singapore, but all over the Malaysian peninsular and the islands of Indonesia and appeared to be plentiful. However, as early as 1846 Montgomerie was expressing fears that supplies would dry up due to the destructive method of harvesting and large quantities being produced.Oxley also noted the fast depopulation of gutta-percha trees in Singapore (Oxley, p. 24) Trees were cut down and the bark stripped to get to the sap. Montgomerie believed that it was possible to harvest the sap by

tapping Tapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to stand ...

but did not think it would be possible to persuade the native collectors to use this slower, but more sustainable method. Besides its use for making medical instruments, Montgomerie proposed several other uses, including as a dental filling (for which it is still used). Numerous other applications were quickly found for the new material, including a much improved golf ball. However, the most important application was as an electrical insulator. This was essential for the worldwide

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

network as it made possible the

transatlantic telegraph cable Transatlantic telegraph cables were undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean for telegraph communications. Telegraphy is a largely obsolete form of communication, and the cables have long since been decommissioned, but telephone and dat ...

and other links across oceans. No better material was available until the invention of

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bott ...

in the 1930s.

Mental health medicine

It was the custom in Singapore to house '

lunatic ''Lunatic'' is a term referring to a person who is seen as Mental disorder, mentally ill, Risk, dangerous, Foolishness, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moo ...

s' in the jail. Natives and Chinese were confined in this way, while Europeans enjoyed better treatment. It was part of Montgomerie's duties to visit the jail daily to attend to their needs. There had been public disquiet about the lack of proper facilities, but nothing was done until 1840 when one mentally ill inmate murdered another. Montgomerie was tasked with investigating and making recommendations. He recommended a purpose-built

and submitted plans and costings. He rejected an alternative idea of sending patients to India. Montgomerie's plan was accepted and the asylum was built.

Singapore Stone

Montgomerie played a minor role in recovering pieces of the

Singapore Stone The Singapore Stone is a fragment of a large sandstone slab which originally stood at the mouth of the Singapore River. The large slab, which is believed to date back to at least the 13th century and possibly as early as the 10th or 11th centu ...

after it was demolished by explosives in 1843. The stone was a large rock in the

Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper drainage basin, watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Plann ...

bearing an ancient and undeciphered inscription. It was destroyed by the Settlement Engineer to clear the river channel. Montgomerie had intended to set up a Singapore museum, but was unable to do so. Instead, he sent the pieces he recovered to the Asiatic Society museum in Calcutta around 1848. In 1918, some of the fragments recovered by Montgomerie were returned to Singapore on extended loan and are now in the National Museum of Singapore. The destruction of the stone horrified many of the colony's officials. One described it as vandalism. The stone was first discovered by Bengali sailors tasked with clearing the vegetation by the port's first Master Attendant. On seeing the strange inscription, they refused to carry on. Montgomerie commented "it was a pity that those who afterwards authorised the destruction of the ancient relic were not themselves prevented by some such wholesome superstition."

Honours

Gold Medal 1844.Oxley, and several other sources, say that Montgomerie got the medal for the discovery of gutta-percha (Oxley, p. 22). This may be an error since the RSA citation flatly contradicts this. The alternative explanation that there were two different medals awarded is not found in any source of this article.
If it is an error, Montgomerie himself was under the same misapprehension, since he also says he got the medal for gutta-percha (Montgomerie, p. 378). It is entirely possible that Montgomerie misunderstood the award. He was in Singapore at the time, and the award was collected on his behalf by his brother-in-law, H. Gouger, in London (RSA ''Transactions'', p. 60). In the age before the establishment of the worldwide telegraph, communications were slow and unreliable. Awarded for "the cultivation of nutmegs in that island ingapore samples of which have been placed in the Society's repository."

Recreation

Montgomerie was the head of the Singapore Yacht Club when it formed in 1826. Meetings were held in his house. The game of

fives Fives (historically known as hand-tennis) is an English handball sport derived from ''jeu de paume'', similar to the games of handball, Basque pelota, and squash. The game is played in both singles and doubles teams, in an either three- or f ...

was introduced to Singapore by Montgomerie. He initially played it in the medical store. He was honoured with a dinner in February 1836 for introducing the game. In 1827, a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

in Singapore decided gambling farms should be abolished. Montgomerie is said to have remarked, "I did not think there were thirteen such idiots in the entire island."Buckley, p. 145

Notes

References

Bibliography

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