Dr. John Barclay


1758 - 1826

Anatomist. Born in Perthshire, the nephew of the Rev. John Barclay (1734-98), who founded the Berean religious sect. Living in Edinburgh's Surgeon's Square, Barclay was a respected teacher of anatomy, running private classes from his home. His specialism was comparative anatomy and he built up a sizeable collection of specimens, which he gifted to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1821. Barclay's pupils included the surgeons Sir George Ballingall (1780 1855), Robert Liston (1794 - 1847), James Syme (1799 - 1870) and veterinary surgeon William Dick (1793 - 1866). Barclay encouraged Dick to set up his Veterinary School and used his position as a Director of the Highland Society of Scotland to obtain financial support for the venture from the Society. The infamous anatomist Dr Robert Knox (1791 - 1862) was an assistant of Barclay's, becoming his partner in 1825 and taking over his classes after his death.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better