William Hunter (anatomist)
William Hunter (* May 23, 1718 in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, † March 30, 1783 in London) was a Scottish physician and obstetrician.
Life and work
William Hunter was born on Long Calderwood Farm in East Kilbride, a few miles south of Glasgow. His parents were the farmer John Hunter († 1741), senior and Agnes Hunter, born Paul. William Hunter was the older brother of the surgeon John Hunter. They had eight other siblings.
William first attended the College of Glasgow, and later began theology at the University of Glasgow to study, but then switched to medicine in 1737, to whose house in Hamilton to improve his knowledge in William Cullen. On October 24, 1750, he obtained a degree in MD at Glasgow University. In the following time he heard lectures in Edinburgh anatomy ( anatomical lectures ) at Alexander Munro ( 1697-1767 ), founder of the Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh. Thereafter, he went to London to hear Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), a pupil of William Smellie ( 1741-44 ) was and began training in Anatomy at St George 's Hospital in London.
From 1746 on he held then even medical lectures, toured Holland and France, settled in London as a physician, but soon devoted himself exclusively to midwifery and anatomical studies. In 1764 he became a doctor of Sophie Charlotte of Mecklenburg -Strelitz, the wife of King George III. He was designated as a member of the Royal Society in 1767 and to Professor of Anatomy, Professor of Anatomy at the Royal Academy in 1768. In his role as professor of anatomy, he built an anatomical theater in Haymarket for his teaching lectures with a museum.
Hunter was a great collector of antique coins and books in particular. His collections are in today in the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Glasgow, University of Glasgow.
Writings (selection )
- Medical commentaries. 2 vols. London 1762nd
- Anatomy of the human gravid uterus. London 1775.