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William Mackenzie (ophthalmologist)
Encyclopedia
William Mackenzie was a Scottish
ophthalmologist. He wrote Practical Treatise of the Diseases of the Eye, one of the first British
textbooks of ophthalmology
.
Mackenzie was born in Queen Street, Glasgow
, and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow
and the Glasgow Royal Infirmary
. From 1815 to
1818 he studied in London
and continental Europe
. He obtained his MD under Georg Joseph Beer
at the University of Vienna
, and returned to Britain in 1818. In 1819, he settled in Glasgow and began practice as a physician. In this year he also he took up the anatomy chair at Anderson's College Medical School. With George Monteath, the chief oculist of Glasgow, he founded the Glasgow Eye Infirmary in 1824. He was appointed Waltonian lecturer and lecturer on diseases of the eye at the University of Glasgow in 1828, and wrote Practical Treatise of the Diseases of the Eye, which became a standard text after its first edition was published in 1830. This text may include the first discussion of the increase of pressure in the eye during glaucoma. Mackenzie also served as editor of the Glasgow Medical Journal for two years.
MacKenzie was the mentor of Thomas Wharton Jones, leading to a significant scientific genealogy including physicists such as Paul Dirac
and Stephen Hawking
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
ophthalmologist. He wrote Practical Treatise of the Diseases of the Eye, one of the first British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
textbooks of ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
.
Mackenzie was born in Queen Street, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and studied medicine at 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...
and the 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...
. From 1815 to
1818 he studied in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He obtained his MD under Georg Joseph Beer
Georg Joseph Beer
Georg Joseph Beer was an Austrian ophthalmologist . He is credited with introducing a flap operation for treatment of cataracts , as well as popularizing the instrument used to perform the surgery .-Career:Initially a theology student, in 1786 he earned his medical doctorate in Vienna...
at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, and returned to Britain in 1818. In 1819, he settled in Glasgow and began practice as a physician. In this year he also he took up the anatomy chair at Anderson's College Medical School. With George Monteath, the chief oculist of Glasgow, he founded the Glasgow Eye Infirmary in 1824. He was appointed Waltonian lecturer and lecturer on diseases of the eye at the University of Glasgow in 1828, and wrote Practical Treatise of the Diseases of the Eye, which became a standard text after its first edition was published in 1830. This text may include the first discussion of the increase of pressure in the eye during glaucoma. Mackenzie also served as editor of the Glasgow Medical Journal for two years.
MacKenzie was the mentor of Thomas Wharton Jones, leading to a significant scientific genealogy including physicists such as Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
and Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
.
Selected publications
- An appeal to the public and to the legislature, on the necessity of affording dead bodies to the schools of anatomy by legislative enactment, Glasgow: Robertson and Atkinson, 1824.
- A practical treatise on the diseases of the eye, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, 1830; American ed., Boston: Carter, Hendee and Co., 1833; 2nd ed., London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman, 1835; 3rd ed., with Thomas Wharton Jones, London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1840; 4th ed., with Thomas Wharton Jones, London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1854; American ed., based on 4th British ed., edited by Addinell Hewson, Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea, 1855.
- The physiology of vision, London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longsmans, 1841.