Papers of Dr James Finlayson

Material relating to a Clinical Manual for the Study of Medical Cases, 1878-1910; Papers regarding the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, 1883-1906; manuscript of ‘Account of the Life and works of Maister Peter Lowe’, 1886-1889; list of cases and papers published by James Finlayson MD with notes on his career, c. 1905; material relating to the Western Medical Club, undated; biography of W T Gairdner by James Finlayson, undated.

James Finlayson was born at Glasgow on 22 November 1840. He was educated at Glasgow High School. He initially entered Glasgow University reading the arts but changed to medicine and graduated M.B. in 1867. Two years later he received the higher degree of M.D. In 1867 he became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and in 1871 was admitted a Fellow of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow holding for over a quarter of a century the office of Honorary Librarian. He became Visitor in 1899 and President 1900-1903.

Dr Finlayson began his professional career as a house physician in the Children’s Hospital of Manchester. From 1871 to 1874 he acted as assistant to Sir William Gairdner at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and from 1875 was appointed physician to the Glasgow Western Infirmary. He held the office of Physician to the Glasgow Royal Hospital for Sick children from 1883 until 1898 and on retiring was elected Consulting Physician.

Dr Finlayson was a prolific writer. His Clinical Manual for the Study of Medical Cases went through three edition (1878,1886,1891) in this country and two, under the title of Clinical Diagnosis in the United States (1878 and 1886). Dr Finlayson was a keen medical historian and wrote an Account of the Life and Works of Maister Peter Lowe, the Founder of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow, 1889, and an Account of the Life and Works of Dr Robert Watt, author of the ‘Bibliotheca Britannia,’ 1897.

Obituary, Glagow Medical Journal, Series 5, Vol. 66, 1906.

Access to some items may be restricted. Please contact Heritage staff at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Descriptive list available at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. See also NRAS Survey 1909.

Admission tickets for Dr Finlayson to events relating to the 450th anniversary of the University of Glasgow, 1901 in Pamphlets: Glasgow, volume 8.