List of former Aesculapian Club members

The Aesculapian Club has had many notable former members. The following sections give a list of former members of the Club in chronological order of their year of election.

1770s + List of Members elected in the 1770s. Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 1 Andrew Duncan 'The Elder' 1773 Died 1828 2 William Chalmer 1773 Died 1784 3 Andrew Wood 1773 Resigned 1803; Died 1821 4 James Lind 1773 Resigned 1774; Died 1812 5 James Hamilton "Senior" 1773 Resigned 1798; Died 1835 6 Benjamin Bell 1773 Resigned 1798; Died 1806 7 Thomas Hay 1773 Resigned 1803–11; Died 1816/17 8 Forrest Dewar 1773 Resigned 1803–11; Died 1817 9 Hamilton McLure 1773 Died 1789 10 Colin Lauder 1773 Resigned 1792; Died 1831 11 John Balfour 1773 Died 1779 12 Nathaniel Spens 1773 Resigned 1789; Died 1815 13 Alexander Wood 1773 Died 1807 14 Alexander Hamilton 1773 Resigned 1788; Died 1802 15 James Hay 1774 Resigned 1784; Died 1810 16 John Hope 1774 Resigned 1784; Died 1786 17 Thomas Wood 1777 Resigned 1784 18 Robert Langlands 1779 Died 1792

There are two individuals called James Lind who were Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh at this time. The older James Lind was born in 1716 and is most famous for conducting research into the cause and treatment of scurvy. His younger cousin James Lind was born in 1736 and was a physician with interests in natural sciences and botany. He was a similar age to the other founding members making it more likely that he was the Aesculapian. Aesculapian Lind resigned membership of the club after only 11 months in March 1774. In 1774, the younger James Lind is known to have failed to secure a professorship in Edinburgh. Andrew Duncan 'The Elder' and Daniel Rutherford were also applicants.

1780s + List of members elected in the 1780s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 19 Daniel Rutherford 1784 Died 1819 20 William Inglis 1784 Resigned 1790; Died 1792 21 Alexander Monro Secundus 1784 Resigned 1790; Died 1817 22 Thomas Cochrane 1788 Resigned 1793 23 Charles Congalton 1789 Resigned 1794 24 Thomas Spens 1789 Resigned 1803; Died 1842

1790s + List of Members elected in the 1790s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 25 Andrew Wardrop 1790 Resigned 1798; Died 1823 26 Andrew Inglis 1790 Resigned 1798; Died 1834 27 James Home 1792 Resigned 1826; Died 1844 28 Colin Drummond 1793 Resigned 1795 29 John Walker 1794 Resigned 1819; Died 1841 30 James Clark 1794 Resigned 1798 31 Thomas Wood 1796 Resigned 1803–11; Died 1821 32 George Wood 1796 Resigned 1833 33 James Russell 1796 Resigned 1789; Died 1836 34 Henry Johnston 1796 Resigned 1799 35 William Harkness 1796 Resigned 1797 36 William Greenfield 1796 Resigned 1797; Died 1827 37 James Anderson 1798 Resigned 1800; Died 1817 38 William Brown 1799 Resigned 1801; Died 1818 39 James Buchan 1799 Resigned 1832

There is no record of a William Harkness being a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, but a Walter Harkness became a Fellow in 1792.

There is no record that William Greenfield was a Fellow of either the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh or the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He was elected a member of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh in 1793 and it was a custom of that Society that non-medical guests who joined in heartily with the proceedings could be invited on multiple occasions and became honorary members by acclamation.

It appears that Thomas Wood was re-elected to the Club in 1796 having resigned membership in 1784.

1800s + List of members elected in the 1800s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 40 William Farquharson 1801 Resigned 1819; Died 1823 41 James Bryce 1801 Died 1826 42 John Herdman 1801 Resigned 1803–11; Died 1842 43 Alexander Gillespie 1803 Resigned 1859; Died 1859 44 Thomas Charles Hope 1805 Resigned 1817; Died 1844 45 Andrew Duncan 'The Younger' 1805 Died 1832 46 George Kellie 1805 Resigned 1805–11; Died 1829 47 Charles Anderson 1805 Resigned 1805-11 48 James Wardrop 1805 Resigned 1805-11 49 Alexander Wylie 1809 1817

1810s + List of members elected in the 1810s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 50 James Hamilton 'The Younger' 1810 1824; Died 1839 51 John Barclay 1810 Died 1826 52 John Allan 1810 Resigned 1825; Died 1850 53 Henry Dewar 1816 Died 1823

1820s + List of members elected in the 1820s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 54 Robert Graham 1820 Resigned 1835; Died 1845 55 John Aitkin 1820 Resigned 1830; Died 1860 56 John Warroch Pursell 1820 Died 1835 57 William Wood 1820 Resigned 1831; Died 1858 58 George Ballingall 1821 Resigned 1841; Died 1855 59 George Augustus Borthwick 1821 Resigned 1839; Died 1844 60 Robert Hamilton 1821 Resigned 1853; Died 1868 61 William Alison 1821 Resigned 1840; Died 1859 62 James Millar (or Miller) 1822 Died 1827 63 Richard Huie 1823 Resigned 1843; Died 1867 64 Henry Cullen 1824 Died 1828 65 William Howison 1825 Resigned 1832 66 John Thatcher 1826 Died 1853 67 John MacWhirter 1826 Resigned 1853; Died 1854 68 William Moncrieff 1826 Died 1836 69 John Argyll Robertson 1827 Resigned 1845; Died 1855 69 John Campbell 1828 Resigned 1838; Died 1867 70 David Maclagan 1828 Resigned 1865; Died 1865 71 Richard Poole 1829 Resigned 1833; Died 1871

1830s + List of members elected in the 1830s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 73 Robert Lewins 1830 Resigned 1843 74 William Beilby 1831 Resigned 1841; Died 1849 75 George Hamilton Bell 1832 Resigned 1841; Died 1862 76 Samuel Alexander Pagan 1832 Resigned 1863; Died 1867 77 John Home Peebles 1833 Resigned 1840 78 Thomas Stewart Traill 1833 Resigned 1837; Died 1862 79 William Newbigging 1833 Resigned 1839; Died 1852 80 Alexander Macaulay 1834 Resigned 1844; Died 1868 81 William Gregory 1834 Resigned 1837; Died 1858 82 Robert Nasmyth 1835 Resigned 1860; Died 1870 83 Charles Anderson 1836 Resigned 1846; Died 1855 84 David Hay 1836 Resigned 1841; Died 1843/4 85 Peter David Handyside 1837 Resigned 1849; Died 1881 86 John C Douglas Smith Snr 1838 Died 1879 87 Charles Ransford 1839 Resigned 1848; Died 1886 88 James Simson 1839 Died 1876

1840s + List of members elected in the 1840s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 89 Robert Omond 1840 Resigned 1878; Died 1881 90 William Seller 1841 Died 1869 91 Robert Bowes Malcolm 1841 Resigned 1878; Died 1894 92 James Scarth Combe 1843 Resigned 1876; Died 1883 93 Charles Bell 1843 Resigned 1860; Died 1891 94 James Miller 1843 Died 1864 95 Andrew Douglas Maclagan 1843 Died 1900 96 William Henderson 1843 Resigned 1845; Died 1872 97 John Graham MacDonald Burt 1843 Died 1868 98 Andrew Fyfe 1844 Resigned 1844; Died 1861 99 George Andrew Paterson 1845 Resigned 1850, but remained an 'Emeritus Aesculapian'; Died 1893 100 John Coldstream 1845 Resigned 1860; Died 1863 101 Patrick Newbigging 1845 Died 1864 102 John Hutton Balfour 1846 Resigned 1883; Died 1884 103 James Begbie 1848 Resigned 1857; Died 1869 104 James Syme 1849 Resigned 1857; Died 1870

The Aesculapian Club photograph album entry for Charles Bell erroneously includes a copy of the portrait of Charles Bell, whose name is given to unilateral paralysis of the facial nerve (Bell's palsy). Bell died in 1842 and was not a member of the Aesculapian Club. Aesculapian Charles Bell was the nephew of Sir Charles and the younger brother of Aesculapian George Hamilton Bell.

1850s + List of members elected in the 1850s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 105 James Young Simpson 1850 Died 1870 106 William Brown 1852 Resigned 1871; Died 1873 107 John Taylor 1854 Died 1856 108 Benjamin Bell 1854 Died 1883 109 Andrew Wood 1857 Died 1881 110 James Dunsmure 1857 Resigned 1886; Died 1886 111 James Donaldson Gillespie 1858 Died 1891

1860s + List of members elected in the 1860s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 112 Patrick Heron Watson 1860 Died 1908 113 William Henry Lowe 1860 Resigned 1875; Died 1900 114 Thomas Graham Weir 1861 Resigned 1894; Died 1896 115 Daniel Rutherford Haldane 1864 Died 1887 116 William Rutherford Sanders 1865 Died 1881 117 William Turner 1868 Died 1916

1870s + List of members elected in the 1870s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 118 John Duncan 1870 Died 1899 119 James Matthews Duncan 1870 Resigned 1877; Died 1890 120 James Warburton Begbie 1870 Died 1876 121 Joseph Lister 1872 Resigned 1877; Died 1912 122 John Smith Jr. 1876 Resigned 1910; Died 1910 123 Robert Paterson 1876 Resigned 1881; Died 1889 124 Joseph Bell 1876 Resigned 1910; Died 1911 125 Claud Muirhead 1876 Died 1910 126 Douglas Argyll Robertson 1878 Resigned 1904; Died 1909 127 John Wyllie 1878 Died 1916 128 William Rutherford 1878 Died 1899 129 Robert James Blair Cunynghame 1879 Died 1903 130 Thomas Richard Fraser 1879 Resigned 1919; Died 1920

1880s + List of members elected in 1880s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 131 Francis Brodie Imlach 1881 Died 1891 132 Thomas Smith Clouston 1881 Died 1915 133 Charles Edward Underhill 1881 Died 1908 134 George William Balfour 1883 Died 1903 135 Alexander Crum Brown 1883 Resigned 1919; Died 1922 136 Thomas Annandale 1886 Died 1907 137 Robert Peel Ritchie 1887 Died 1902

1890s + List of members elected in the 1890s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 138 John Chiene 1892 Resigned 1919; Died 1923 139 James Dunsmure 1892 Died 1907 140 John Sibbald 1893 Resigned 1905; Died 1905 141 Francis Cadell 1895 Resigned 1906; Died 1909 142 James Andrew 1899 Died 1911 143 John Halliday Croom 1899 Resigned 1921; Died 1923

In March 1895 Alexander Peddie was elected a member of the club. His photograph was added to the club's album and his name was included in printed list of members for that year. However, he did not attend any dinners and the minutes from October 1895 record that after due consideration Peddie had declined to become a member. In December 1895, Francis Cadell was elected in his place. Cadell was a surgeon and father of the Scottish colourist Francis Cadell.

1900s + List of members elected in the 1900s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 144 Sir William Tennant Gairdner 1900 Resigned 1902; Died 1907 145 Sir John Batty Tuke 1902 Died 1913 146 Sir William Allan Jamieson 1903 Died 1916 147 Dr. Alexander James 1903 Died 1932 148 Professor Daniel John Cunningham 1904 Died 1909 149 Sir George Andreas Berry 1904 Resigned 1932; Died 1940 150 Dr. John Playfair 1905 Died 1933 151 Dr. Charles Watson MacGillivray 1907 Resigned 1928; Died 1932 152 Sir Joseph Montagu Cotterill 1907 Resigned 1932; Died 1933 153 Lieutenant-Colonel Russell Elliot Wood 1908 Died 1917 154 Sir Harold Jalland Stiles 1908 Resigned 1937; Died 1946 155 Sir Byrom Bramwell 1908 Resigned 1927; Died 1931

1910s + List of members elected in 1910s Number Name Year of Election Year of Resignation/Death 156 Mr. Francis Mitchell Caird 1910 Died 1926 157 Henry Alexis Thomson 1910 Died 1924 158 Dr. George Alexander Gibson 1910 Died 1913 159 Sir David Wallace 1911 Resigned 1946; Died 1952 160 Professor William Russell 1911 Resigned 1926; Died 1940 161 Dr. George Henry 'Harry' Melville Dunlop 1913 Died 1916 162 Sir John Macpherson 1914 Resigned 1922 163 Dr. Alexander Blackhall-Morison 1919 Died 1927

1920s