Sir James McGrigor

James McGrigor

9 April 1771 – 2 April 1858

Military surgeon

Known as the father of British Army medicine, James McGrigor attended Marischal College, Aberdeen, before becoming a regimental surgeon. His outstanding qualities as a doctor and administrator saw him rise quickly through the ranks to become the Chief of Medical Staff of the Peninsula Army, under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He introduced the system of staged evacuation of sick and wounded men from the battlefield, a process which saved many thousands of lives.

In an innovative move, James set up temporary field hospitals near the front line to treat short-term casualties. At the same time, he established a number of relay stations for the staged movement of severe casualties to general hospitals. James’s method of staged evacuation still informs military practice today. Significantly he instructed that men who were ill be kept separate from the wounded, which helped to prevent the spread of disease. James also ensured for the first time that accurate reports were received about the numbers of wounded or sick, so that the generals knew how many men were fit for duty.

In 1816 he founded the Army Medical Friendly Society to provide help for widows of medical officers, and four years later the Army Medical Benevolent Society for assisting the orphans of medical officers.