James Fisher (physician)
Encyclopedia
James Fisher was a physician and political figure in Lower Canada
.
He was probably born in Scotland
and came to the Province of Quebec
in 1776 as an aide at the military hospital at Quebec City
. In 1783, he was named garrison surgeon. In 1787, he proposed that a medical board be set up to qualify physicians and surgeons to practice in the province; Fisher served on the first such board when it was set up the following year. In 1789, he was named a doctor at the Hôpital Général at Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
for Northumberland County
in 1796. Fisher was named physician for the Ursulines of Quebec
in 1807 and commissioner for insane asylums in 1814. In 1815, he retired from the military and, in 1816, returned to Scotland.
He died in Edinburgh
in 1822.
A number of well-reputed early physicians in Lower Canada were trained by Fisher:
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
.
He was probably born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and came to the Province of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
in 1776 as an aide at the military hospital at Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. In 1783, he was named garrison surgeon. In 1787, he proposed that a medical board be set up to qualify physicians and surgeons to practice in the province; Fisher served on the first such board when it was set up the following year. In 1789, he was named a doctor at the Hôpital Général at Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
for Northumberland County
Northumberland County, Quebec
Northumberland County, Quebec is a local division within Quebec and also in Lower Canada....
in 1796. Fisher was named physician for the Ursulines of Quebec
Ursulines of Quebec
The Ursuline Convent of Quebec City, , founded in 1639, is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America...
in 1807 and commissioner for insane asylums in 1814. In 1815, he retired from the military and, in 1816, returned to Scotland.
He died in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1822.
A number of well-reputed early physicians in Lower Canada were trained by Fisher:
- François BlanchetFrançois Blanchet (physician)François Blanchet was a physician, businessman, seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud in 1776 and studied at the Petit Séminaire of Quebec. He went on to study medicine with James Fisher and then at Columbia College where he received a...
- John McLoughlinJohn McLoughlinDr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
- Joseph Painchaud
- Anthony von Iffland