author
R. J. M. (Robert James McLean) Buchanan
1864–1925
A Liverpool physician and medical writer, he helped bring forensic medicine and toxicology to a wider audience through a long-running textbook that stayed in use for years. His career blended hospital work, university teaching, and wartime service.
1 Audiobook
Text-book of forensic medicine and toxicology
by R. J. M. (Robert James McLean) Buchanan
About the author
Born on July 23, 1864, Robert James McLean Buchanan began working life as an apprentice joiner before studying medicine at University College, Liverpool. He graduated in 1888 and went on to build a career at major Liverpool institutions including the Royal Infirmary, the Stanley Hospital, and the Hospital for Consumption.
At the University of Liverpool, he rose through junior posts to become assistant lecturer in toxicology and later professor of forensic medicine, while also lecturing in clinical medicine. He is best remembered as the author of Text-book of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, a well-known teaching text that went through multiple editions and helped shape how the subject was taught.
During the First World War, Buchanan served as a captain at the 1st Western General Hospital. He retired from his university chair in 1924, became consulting physician to the Royal Infirmary, and died on April 19, 1925. Contemporary accounts also note his interests outside medicine, including photography, painting, music, and fishing.