Murdoch Cameron
Encyclopedia
Murdoch Cameron was Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow
from 1894 to 1926. He was a pioneer of the Caesarean section under modern antiseptic conditions, becoming world famous after the success of his first Caesarean section
at Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
in 1888. He was honorary President of the first international Congress on Obstetrics and Gynaecology, held in Brussels
, in 1892. He was also a founding father of the new Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital (the Rotten Row) and the father of Samuel James Cameron
, Reguis Professor of Midwifery at Glasgow in the 1930s.
, Argyllshire, and his wife Mary Clow, daughter of William Clow of Drymen
, Stirlingshire
. He studied medicine at the University of Glasgow qualifying as MB in 1870, and MD in 1872.
in 1878. From about 1884 he acted as Professorial Assistant to William Leishman, Professor of Midwifery at Glasgow. And in 1888 he was appointed Obstetric Physician to the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital. He also acted as lecturer on gynaecology at Glasgow Queen Margaret’s College and was a leading fundraiser for the campaign to erect a new Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital on the Rottenrow site in 1880-1.
on April 10, 1888, Murdoch Cameron carried out the first Caesarean section
under modern antiseptic conditions. The patient, Catherine Colquhoun, was a rachitic dwarf incapable of natural birth. Cameron, who as an undergraduate had worked as a surgical dresser to the pioneer of antiseptic surgery Joseph Lister
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
, helped transform the Caesarean section, under antiseptic conditions, from a dreaded and little used procedure, that usually ended with the death of the mother, into the routine and safe operation it has become.
It was an appointment that created furious controversy in some quarters. In an anonymous letter to The Times, London, on January 8, 1894, one correspondent condemned Murdoch Cameron’s election as ‘a heavy blow to the prestige and prosperity of Scotch Universities’ . Dr Cameron’s only claim to the position, the correspondent wrote, was that he ‘is an ardent Gladstonian partisan’ .
Nevertheless, Cameron held the position of Professor of Midwifery for thirty-two years, and was awarded an honorary LLD for ‘a long period of faithful, useful and distinguished service’ by the University of Glasgow
at his retirement. During four decades of academic teaching, Cameron taught four of his successors to the Chair of Midwifery: John Martin Munro Kerr
, Samuel James Cameron
, James Hendry and Robert Aim Lennie
. Murdoch Cameron died in Glasgow in 1930.
, for an article in Die Woche in which he condemned British conduct in the Boer War
. As the students attempted to strip the unapologetic Tille of his professorial gown, he sought refuge in Murdoch Cameron’s lecture room. Cameron, acting as mediator between the students and Tille, arranged a meeting between both sides. At the conclusion of which Professor Cameron, asking the students to ‘forgive and forget’ , shook hands with Tille on their behalf.
, Stirlingshire
in 1873. He was the father of S.J. Cameron, successor to the Reguis chair of Midwifery at Glasgow in the 1930s. Murdoch Cameron’s fourth child, Agnes Wallace Cameron, was among the first generation of female medical graduates from a Scottish University. Graduating MB from Glasgow in 1904, Dr A. W. Cameron was later a paediatric specialist to Glasgow Parish Council. Cameron’s eldest daughter, Jean Wallace Cameron, was Matron of the Stirling Maternity Hospital in the 1920s and ‘30s. While his second daughter, Mary Clow Cameron, was lecturer in French at the University of Glasgow, who with her husband, Leon Maurice Pitoy, Chevalier Légion d’honneur, also lecturer in French at Glasgow, founded the Pitoy French language prize at the University in 1938.
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
from 1894 to 1926. He was a pioneer of the Caesarean section under modern antiseptic conditions, becoming world famous after the success of his first Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
at Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, was founded as the Glasgow Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary in 1834 in Greyfriars Wynd. It moved to St Andrews Square in 1841 then to Rottenrow in 1860...
in 1888. He was honorary President of the first international Congress on Obstetrics and Gynaecology, held in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, in 1892. He was also a founding father of the new Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital (the Rotten Row) and the father of Samuel James Cameron
Samuel James Cameron
Samuel James Cameron was Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow from 1934 until 1942. The son of Caesarean Section pioneer Prof Murdoch Cameron, S.J. Cameron was a foundation Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1929, and for many years a member of the...
, Reguis Professor of Midwifery at Glasgow in the 1930s.
Early life
Murdoch Cameron was born in Glasgow in 1847 the son of a successful timber merchant, Samuel Cameron (June 25, 1811– January 27, 1886), who originated from the Gaelic-speaking farming communities on the Isle of MullIsle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
, Argyllshire, and his wife Mary Clow, daughter of William Clow of Drymen
Drymen
Drymen is a village in Stirling district in central Scotland. Drymen lies to the west of the Campsie Fells and enjoys views to Dumgoyne on the east and to Loch Lomond on the west...
, Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
. He studied medicine at the University of Glasgow qualifying as MB in 1870, and MD in 1872.
Early professional life
Specialising in obstetrics at his practice in the Townhead district of Glasgow, Cameron was almost immediately appointed Physician to the Glasgow Lying-in Hospital after his graduation. He retained this post until becoming Physician Accoucher to Glasgow's Western InfirmaryWestern Infirmary
The Western Infirmary is a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a Maggie's centre at the hospital to help cancer patients, as well as the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility....
in 1878. From about 1884 he acted as Professorial Assistant to William Leishman, Professor of Midwifery at Glasgow. And in 1888 he was appointed Obstetric Physician to the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital. He also acted as lecturer on gynaecology at Glasgow Queen Margaret’s College and was a leading fundraiser for the campaign to erect a new Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital on the Rottenrow site in 1880-1.
Caesarean section
In an improvised operating theatre crowded with doctors and undergraduates on the top floor of the Glasgow Royal Maternity HospitalGlasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, was founded as the Glasgow Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary in 1834 in Greyfriars Wynd. It moved to St Andrews Square in 1841 then to Rottenrow in 1860...
on April 10, 1888, Murdoch Cameron carried out the first Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
under modern antiseptic conditions. The patient, Catherine Colquhoun, was a rachitic dwarf incapable of natural birth. Cameron, who as an undergraduate had worked as a surgical dresser to the pioneer of antiseptic surgery Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
, helped transform the Caesarean section, under antiseptic conditions, from a dreaded and little used procedure, that usually ended with the death of the mother, into the routine and safe operation it has become.
Controversial appointment
In recognition of his pioneering work Cameron was appointed honorary President of the first international Congress on Obstetrics and Gynaecology, held in Brussels, in 1892. In 1894, on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Sir George Trevelyan, Murdoch Cameron succeeded Leishman to the position of Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow.It was an appointment that created furious controversy in some quarters. In an anonymous letter to The Times, London, on January 8, 1894, one correspondent condemned Murdoch Cameron’s election as ‘a heavy blow to the prestige and prosperity of Scotch Universities’ . Dr Cameron’s only claim to the position, the correspondent wrote, was that he ‘is an ardent Gladstonian partisan’ .
Nevertheless, Cameron held the position of Professor of Midwifery for thirty-two years, and was awarded an honorary LLD for ‘a long period of faithful, useful and distinguished service’ by the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
at his retirement. During four decades of academic teaching, Cameron taught four of his successors to the Chair of Midwifery: John Martin Munro Kerr
John Martin Munro Kerr
John Martin Munro Kerr was Reguis Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow from 1927 to 1934. A scholar and surgeon of international acclaim he won both the Katherine Bishop Harman Prize in 1934 for his book Maternal Mortality and Morbidity and was the first recipient of the Blair Bell...
, Samuel James Cameron
Samuel James Cameron
Samuel James Cameron was Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow from 1934 until 1942. The son of Caesarean Section pioneer Prof Murdoch Cameron, S.J. Cameron was a foundation Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1929, and for many years a member of the...
, James Hendry and Robert Aim Lennie
Robert Aim Lennie
Robert Aim Lennie was Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow from 1946 to 1955.Lennie was born at Cambuslang, Glasgow in 1889 the son of Ritchie Lennie , an oil and colour manufacturer, from Kincardine, Perthshire, and his wife Isabella Crawford Smith, daughter of Brodie...
. Murdoch Cameron died in Glasgow in 1930.
Boer War Incident
In a famous incident on February 23, 1900, a large crowd of students at the University of Glasgow surrounded the German lecturer, Professor Alexander Tille. The students berated Professor Tille, first English translator of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke ZarathustraThus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...
, for an article in Die Woche in which he condemned British conduct in the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. As the students attempted to strip the unapologetic Tille of his professorial gown, he sought refuge in Murdoch Cameron’s lecture room. Cameron, acting as mediator between the students and Tille, arranged a meeting between both sides. At the conclusion of which Professor Cameron, asking the students to ‘forgive and forget’ , shook hands with Tille on their behalf.
A Medical Family
Murdoch Cameron married Agnes Wallace at KilsythKilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
in 1873. He was the father of S.J. Cameron, successor to the Reguis chair of Midwifery at Glasgow in the 1930s. Murdoch Cameron’s fourth child, Agnes Wallace Cameron, was among the first generation of female medical graduates from a Scottish University. Graduating MB from Glasgow in 1904, Dr A. W. Cameron was later a paediatric specialist to Glasgow Parish Council. Cameron’s eldest daughter, Jean Wallace Cameron, was Matron of the Stirling Maternity Hospital in the 1920s and ‘30s. While his second daughter, Mary Clow Cameron, was lecturer in French at the University of Glasgow, who with her husband, Leon Maurice Pitoy, Chevalier Légion d’honneur, also lecturer in French at Glasgow, founded the Pitoy French language prize at the University in 1938.
External links
- Glasgow University faculty of Medicine, Famous Scholars
- Murdoch Cameron at The Glasgow Story