author
Ambrose Blacklock
1816–1873
A 19th-century physician and medical teacher, he spent much of his career in Madras and became known both for hospital work and for practical writing on sheep husbandry. His life links medicine, teaching, and colonial-era science in a way that still feels strikingly unusual.
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About the author
Born in 1816 and educated in Edinburgh, Ambrose Blacklock was the son of a naval medical officer and went on to join the Madras medical service in 1840. He later served as Professor of Surgery and Surgeon at the General Hospital in Madras, and in 1858 became Professor of Medicine and Physician there.
Blacklock's career combined teaching with public medical service. By 1870 he had risen to Deputy Inspector-General, and contemporary references suggest he was remembered with particular respect at Madras Medical College after his death.
He is also associated with A Treatise on Sheep, a practical work on improving sheep, managing flocks, and treating their diseases. That mix of physician, professor, and agricultural writer gives his work a distinctive character.