Samuel James Cameron
Encyclopedia
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 Gynaecological Visiting Society. A lifelong champion of the reputation of the founder of professional British midwifery
, William Smellie
, Cameron both named a maternity hospital at Lanark
, Scotland, after him and saved Smellie’s library from permanent loss.
and in 1920 was appointed head of a gynaecological unit at the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
. In October 1934 he succeeded to his father’s former position, replacing John Martin Munro Kerr
in the chair of Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow.
A popular teacher, Cameron was famous for his notably quick surgical technique. He published four medical textbooks, including A Manuel of Gynaecology: For Students and Practitioners (1915). After his retirement in 1942 Cameron was awarded an honorary LLD by the University of Glasgow.
. In October 1956 he gave the first William Smellie lecture to the Glasgow Obstetrical Society having previously led the campaign for the renovation of Smellie’s tomb and having played the decisive role in the efforts to salvage Smellie’s library at Lanark.
In 1929, in his Presidential address to the Glasgow Obstetric and Gynaecological Society Cameron said of Smellie: ‘Looking backwards, I see Smellie’s figure towering above all other’s […] As the founder of the modern practice of obstetrics, this plain, blunt, and indefatigable Scot has left a memory, to be cherished by all interested in this special department of medicine’ [1].
In honour of the plain and indefatigable Scot Cameron, instrumental in the foundation of a maternity hospital at Lanark, named it the William Smellie Memorial Hospital.
included works by the Scottish painters Allan Ramsay and Sir Henry Raeburn. Cameron also commissioned Denis Peploe, son of the Scottish painter, S.J. Peploe, to sculpt a statue of mother and child, which he gifted to the William Smellie Memorial Hospital.
In 1908 S.J. Cameron married Marion Lean, daughter of Daniel Lean the wealthy Scots muslin manufacturer, the value of whose estate ranked him fifth in the top ten wealthiest Scots to die in 1898 [2]. Samuel James Cameron died at Stobieside in 1959.
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 1934 until 1942. The son of 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...
pioneer Prof Murdoch Cameron
Murdoch Cameron
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...
, S.J. Cameron was a foundation Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1929, and for many years a member of the Gynaecological Visiting Society. A lifelong champion of the reputation of the founder of professional British midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
, William Smellie
William Smellie (obstetrician)
William Smellie was a Scottish obstetrician.He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London and Paris, he opened a practice in London and began teaching...
, Cameron both named a maternity hospital at Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
, Scotland, after him and saved Smellie’s library from permanent loss.
Professional life
Sam Cameron graduated from the University of Glasgow MB Ch.B, with commendation, in 1901. Among his professional appointments he spent a year as house-surgeon at the Chelsea Hospital for Woman, in London, working under the pre-eminent British surgeons, Sir John Bland-Sutton, Victor Bonney and Sir Comyns Berkeley, forming enduring friendships with all three. Later he became head of the gynaecological wards at 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....
and in 1920 was appointed head of a gynaecological unit at the 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 October 1934 he succeeded to his father’s former position, replacing 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...
in the chair of Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow.
A popular teacher, Cameron was famous for his notably quick surgical technique. He published four medical textbooks, including A Manuel of Gynaecology: For Students and Practitioners (1915). After his retirement in 1942 Cameron was awarded an honorary LLD by the University of Glasgow.
William Smellie
Throughout his life Cameron championed the reputation of the father of modern British midwifery, William SmellieWilliam Smellie (obstetrician)
William Smellie was a Scottish obstetrician.He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London and Paris, he opened a practice in London and began teaching...
. In October 1956 he gave the first William Smellie lecture to the Glasgow Obstetrical Society having previously led the campaign for the renovation of Smellie’s tomb and having played the decisive role in the efforts to salvage Smellie’s library at Lanark.
In 1929, in his Presidential address to the Glasgow Obstetric and Gynaecological Society Cameron said of Smellie: ‘Looking backwards, I see Smellie’s figure towering above all other’s […] As the founder of the modern practice of obstetrics, this plain, blunt, and indefatigable Scot has left a memory, to be cherished by all interested in this special department of medicine’ [1].
In honour of the plain and indefatigable Scot Cameron, instrumental in the foundation of a maternity hospital at Lanark, named it the William Smellie Memorial Hospital.
Personal life
A lifelong art collector, Sam Cameron’s collection at his country residence at Stobieside, near Drumclog, LanarkshireLanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
included works by the Scottish painters Allan Ramsay and Sir Henry Raeburn. Cameron also commissioned Denis Peploe, son of the Scottish painter, S.J. Peploe, to sculpt a statue of mother and child, which he gifted to the William Smellie Memorial Hospital.
In 1908 S.J. Cameron married Marion Lean, daughter of Daniel Lean the wealthy Scots muslin manufacturer, the value of whose estate ranked him fifth in the top ten wealthiest Scots to die in 1898 [2]. Samuel James Cameron died at Stobieside in 1959.