Sir James Young Simpson
and
Chloroform

(1811-1870)

I have endeavoured to condense the vast amount of matter which has been written concerning this Master of Medicine and his work into the form of a readable narrative, and to represent him in his social and intellectual environment in accordance with the object of this Series. The selections from his own writings illustrate as far as possible his versatility and many-sided character. I have chosen for quotation out of the numerous sketches and memoirs of him those written from undoubted knowledge of the man.

I am indebted especially to Professor A. R. Simpson for kind advice, to Mr. Cuthbertson of the Edinburgh University Library for useful help, to Mr. C. Louis Taylor for valuable criticism, and to my wife for assistance in research and compilation. I have also to thank those friends who from time to time have favoured me with personal reminiscences of Sir James.

The following are the chief works, in addition to Simpson’s own writings, from which my information has been drawn:—(1) “The Jubilee of Anæsthetic Midwifery”; (2) “Keiller and Credé”; (3) “History of the Chair of Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh,” being addresses by Professor A. R. Simpson; (4) Miss Eve B. Simpson’s “Sir James Simpson”; and her (5) “Dogs of other Days;” (6) “Twenty Years and their Lesson; a Retrospect and Review” (Scots Observer, 1891); (7) Dr. Duns’s “Memoir of Sir J. Y. Simpson”; (8) Professor Gusserow’s “Zur Erinnerung an Sir J. Y. Simpson”; (9) Mr. Cuthbertson’s “Student’s Pilgrimage”; (10) “The Story of Edinburgh University,” by Sir A. Grant; (11) “The Life of Sir Robert Christison”; (12) “The Life of Robert Knox”; and numerous back numbers of the Century Magazine, the Lancet, the British Medical Journal, the Medical Times and Gazette, the Edinburgh Medical Journal, &c., &c.

Forest Hill, October, 1897.