Sir William Japp Sinclair, 1846-1912.

Sir William Japp Sinclair was a pioneer of modern gynaecological surgery. He was born in Kincardineshire on 6 March 1846 and studied medicine at Aberdeen. Sinclair was resident medical officer at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester and house surgeon to the Clinical Hospital for Women and Children. In 1875 he was elected honorary physician to the Manchester Southern Hospital, for many years he was the only consultant, and he retained his post when the hospital amalgamated with St Mary's in 1905. In 1888, Sinclair became professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Manchester. He wrote important works on gonorrhea and was a pioneer in vaginal hysterectomy. He was an important player in the controversy over the Midwives Bill, arguing for state registered training, and was an original member of the Central Midwives Board. Sinclair was the first general secretary of the North of England Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society, and was president in 1893 and 1904. He played a major role in the beginning of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the British Empire, in the early 1900s. He was also one of the founders of the Medical Chronicle in 1884, and was an editor for the journal for many years. Sinclair was president of Manchester Medical Society in 1899 and was knighted in 1904. Sinclair died on 21 August 1912.

See also MMC/1/SinclairW.