# James Begbie > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Begbie > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Begbie.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Begbie > Source revision: 1351158461 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Scottish medical doctor (1798–1869)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} thumb thumb|Portrait of James Begbie thumb|10 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh thumb|The grave of Dr James Begbie, New Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh '''James Begbie''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSE|FRCPE|FRCSE}} (1798, [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh) – 26 August 1869, Edinburgh) was a Scottish medical doctor who served as president of the [Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh](/source/Medico-Chirurgical_Society_of_Edinburgh) (1850–2) and as president of the [Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh](/source/Royal_College_of_Physicians_of_Edinburgh) (1854–6). He was among the first physicians to give a detailed description of exophthalmic goitre, currently known as [Graves disease](/source/Graves_disease) (previously called Basedow's syndrome or Begbie's disease). He is also related to the study of [Dubini](/source/Dubini)'s disease, the old name for [myoclonic](/source/myoclonic) [epidemic encephalitis](/source/epidemic_encephalitis).[http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/831.html James Begbie], [WhoNamedIt.com](/source/WhoNamedIt.com). His son [James Warburton Begbie](/source/James_Warburton_Begbie) was also an eminent physician. ==Biography== Begbie was born on 18 December 1798 in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh), and educated at the [High School](/source/Royal_High_School%2C_Edinburgh).{{cite book |title=Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002: Biographical Index |url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |last1=Waterston |first1=Charles D |last2=Macmillan Shearer |first2=A |accessdate=7 December 2016 |volume=I |date=July 2006 |page=70 |publisher=[The Royal Society of Edinburgh](/source/The_Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh) |location=Edinburgh |isbn=090219884X |archive-date=24 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |url-status=dead }} Aged 14 he was apprenticed to [Dr John Abercrombie](/source/John_Abercrombie_(physician)) (1780–1844) at 19 York Place.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1812 Later on, he also became Abercrombie's assistant. In 1821, Begbie obtained his medical doctorate (MD) from the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh). In 1822, he became a [fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons](/source/Fellowship_of_the_Royal_College_of_Surgeons). In 1827 he is listed as a Governor of the [Dean Orphan Hospital](/source/Dean_Orphan_Hospital){{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulBGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA56 |title = An Historical Account of the Orphan Hospital of Edinburgh|year = 1833}} At this stage he lived at 30 Abercromby Place.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1840 In 1827 he was elected a member of the [Harveian Society of Edinburgh](/source/Harveian_Society_of_Edinburgh).{{Cite book|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ww4e59xv|title= A Record of the Edinburgh Harveian Society|last=Watson Wemyss|first=Herbert Lindesay|publisher=T&A Constable, Edinburgh|year=1933|language=en}}{{Cite book|title=Minute Books of the Harveian Society|url=http://archives.rcpe.ac.uk/calmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DEP%2fHAR%2f1%2f1%2f1&pos=17|location= Library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh}} He was elected a Fellow of the [Royal Society of Edinburgh](/source/Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh) his proposer was [David Maclagan](/source/David_Maclagan). In 1847, he also became a fellow of the [Royal College of Physicians](/source/Royal_College_of_Physicians), and became its president from 1854 up to 1856. For forty years, Begbie was a physician for the [Scottish Widows](/source/Scottish_Widows) Fund and Life Assurance Society 1837 to 1869. In 1848 he was elected a member of the [Aesculapian Club](/source/Aesculapian_Club).{{Cite book|title=Minute Books of the Aesculapian Club|url=http://archives.rcpe.ac.uk/calmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DEP%2fAEC%2f1&pos=2|location= Library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh}} In 1850 he lived at 3 [Charlotte Square](/source/Charlotte_Square).Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1850 Begbie's final years were spent living at 10 [Charlotte Square](/source/Charlotte_Square) one of Edinburgh's most prestigious addresses.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1868-69 His neighbour was [James Syme](/source/James_Syme). For several years he was Physician in Ordinary to [Queen Victoria](/source/Queen_Victoria) in Scotland. Begbie died in Edinburgh and was interred at the [New Calton Cemetery](/source/New_Calton_Cemetery). The grave is in a concealed location on the north face of the north-most vault against the east wall. ==Works== Begbie wrote about important statistical data, the use of arsenic for [chronic](/source/chronic_(medicine)) [rheumatism](/source/rheumatism), the use of nitric-[hydrochloric acid](/source/hydrochloric_acid) for [oxaluria](/source/oxaluria), and the use of [potassium bromide](/source/potassium_bromide) for nervousness. ==Publications== ''Contributions to Practical Medicine'' (1862). {{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} ==Family== He was married to Elizabeth Spear (1805–1874). Begbie's son was Dr [James Warburton Begbie](/source/James_Warburton_Begbie) [FRSE](/source/FRSE) (1826–1876). ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Begbie, James}} Category:1798 births Category:1869 deaths Category:Medical doctors from Edinburgh Category:People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Category:Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Category:Burials at the New Calton Burial Ground Category:19th-century Scottish surgeons --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Begbie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Begbie) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Begbie?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.