Baillie, Matthew (1761-1823)
TitleBaillie, Matthew (1761-1823)
ReferenceMS0208
Level of descriptionfonds
Date1798-1823
Admin./ biographical historyMatthew Baillie was an Anatomist and Physician. He was the nephew of anatomists, William and John Hunter. In between his studies at Oxford University, Baillie resided with William Hunter in London. Baillie attended dissections and lectures at Hunter’s anatomy school and museum in Great Windmill Street. He also went to courses in chemistry, medicine, surgery, and obstetrics given by George Fordyce, John Hunter, Thomas Denman, and William Osborne.
When William Hunter died in 1783 he left Baillie control of the anatomy school, the eventual freehold of the premises, thirty years use of the museum, and about £5000. The small Hunter family estate of Long Calderwood also passed to Baillie, but he renounced it in favour of John Hunter. Baillie became an anatomy lecturer at Great Windmill Street, working in partnership with William Hunter's former partner William Cruikshank, until 1799. also completed his broader medical training as a pupil at St George's Hospital, London, where he was appointed physician in 1787. He later went on to focus on his private practice full time. In mid-1788 he made a four-month tour of France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, visiting many hospitals and anatomy schools. He was elected FRCP (London) in 1790. Using his free access to William Hunter’s museum as trustee custodian, Baillie used many pathological specimens combined with examination of corpses at the hospital, and wrote 'The Morbid Anatomy' in 1793.
In 1806 Baillie bought an estate at Duntisbourne Abbots in Gloucestershire, where he lived to an increasing extent in his later years, consulting by correspondence. Most of his estate was left to his family, but his medical books and the copperplates for his Morbid Anatomy were left to the Royal College of Physicians of London. His anatomical specimens he had given to the College, with money for their upkeep, in 1818; they were transferred to the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1938, but were destroyed during the Blitz in 1941.
For more information on Baillie's life and career, please visit his profile on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-1066#odnb-9780198614128-e-1066
When William Hunter died in 1783 he left Baillie control of the anatomy school, the eventual freehold of the premises, thirty years use of the museum, and about £5000. The small Hunter family estate of Long Calderwood also passed to Baillie, but he renounced it in favour of John Hunter. Baillie became an anatomy lecturer at Great Windmill Street, working in partnership with William Hunter's former partner William Cruikshank, until 1799. also completed his broader medical training as a pupil at St George's Hospital, London, where he was appointed physician in 1787. He later went on to focus on his private practice full time. In mid-1788 he made a four-month tour of France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, visiting many hospitals and anatomy schools. He was elected FRCP (London) in 1790. Using his free access to William Hunter’s museum as trustee custodian, Baillie used many pathological specimens combined with examination of corpses at the hospital, and wrote 'The Morbid Anatomy' in 1793.
In 1806 Baillie bought an estate at Duntisbourne Abbots in Gloucestershire, where he lived to an increasing extent in his later years, consulting by correspondence. Most of his estate was left to his family, but his medical books and the copperplates for his Morbid Anatomy were left to the Royal College of Physicians of London. His anatomical specimens he had given to the College, with money for their upkeep, in 1818; they were transferred to the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1938, but were destroyed during the Blitz in 1941.
For more information on Baillie's life and career, please visit his profile on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-1066#odnb-9780198614128-e-1066
Scope and ContentThe notebooks and papers of Matthew Baillie were previously contained within a metal chest, which contains a plaque on the top engraved with the name “Joanna Baillie.”
The collection contains 27 notebooks and various papers belonging to Matthew Baillie. The notebooks and some of the papers were listed by the College Librarian in 1931, and the lists are together with the collection. The notebooks include cases, fee books and visiting books. The papers include cases, legal and administrative documents.
The collection contains 27 notebooks and various papers belonging to Matthew Baillie. The notebooks and some of the papers were listed by the College Librarian in 1931, and the lists are together with the collection. The notebooks include cases, fee books and visiting books. The papers include cases, legal and administrative documents.
Extent3 boxes
LanguageEnglish
System of arrangementThe collection has been divided into three groups: 1) Notebooks 2) Papers 3) Memoir of my life
Conditions governing accessThis collection is available to everyone for research. It can be consulted in our Research Room at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE. It is essential to book in advance so we can ensure material is available. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk to book a Research Room appointment.
Conditions governing reproductionCopies of material in the archives can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents. Some items within this collection may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study. Permission to publish material, in print or online, must be sought in advance from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and, where appropriate, the copyright holder. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk in the first instance.
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