Professor of Midwifery. Name: Christopher Wilson Category: Previous staffRole: Professor of MidwiferyTime active with Edinburgh Medical School: 1830s and 1840s James was born in Bathgate, graduating as a doctor of medicine from Edinburgh in 1832. In 1840, when only 28, he was appointed Professor of Midwifery and was one of the first advocates for the use of midwives in hospitals. James was the first physician to demonstrate the anaesthetic properties of chloroform in humans, introducing it into obstetric and surgical practice in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His services as an early founder of gynaecology and supporter of hospital reform were rewarded with a knighthood. In 1847, he was appointed as physician to the queen in Scotland. This article was published on 2026-03-12
