William Turner (anatomist)

"Sir William Turner" redirects here. For the soldier, see William Turner (British Army officer).

Sir William Turner 1832-1916

Sir William Turner (7 January 1832 in Lancaster – 15 February 1916 in Edinburgh) was a British anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916.

Turner was educated at various private schools, and afterwards studied medicine at St. Bartholomew's hospital, and graduated M.B. from the University of London. In 1854 he became senior demonstrator in anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. Turner was appointed Professor of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh in 1867.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1877. His candidature citation read:" Member of the General Medical Council. - Formerly Examiner in Anatomy in the University of London, and Lecturer on Anatomy and Physiology at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Author of a Memoir on the Placentation of the Lemurs in the Philosophical Transactions 1876; and of papers in the Proceedings of the Royal Society June 1854 June 1865 and December 1875 - Author of papers in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1860, 1865, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1875 and of numerous papers in the Proceedings of the Society. One of the founders and conductors of the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology and author of many papers in it. Eminent as an Anatomist and Physiologist."

Turner held the position of president of the General Medical Council from 1898 to 1904, and in 1900 was president of the British Association. He was knighted in 1886 and made a K.C.B. in 1901. Turner was best known as a brain surgeon, and published various valuable papers on the subject.

He died at Edinburgh 15 February 1916 and is buried in Dean cemetery, Edinburgh University.

Turner House in Pollock Halls of Residence at the University of Edinburgh is named after him.

Further reading

• Power, Sir D'Arcy (1969) [1936]. British Masters of Medicine (Reprinted ed.). Ayer Publishing. pp. 148–158. ISBN 9780836913750. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ai_eTdSe6fEC. Retrieved 2011-11-10. 
• Risley, Sir Herbert Hope (1915) [1908]. Crooke, William. ed. The People of India (Memorial edition). Calcutta: Thacker, Spink. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024114773. Retrieved 2 August 2011.  - dedicated to Turner

External links

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Preceded by William Muir

Principals of Edinburgh University 1903–1916

Succeeded by James Alfred Ewing