author
Robert Willis
1799–1878
A Scottish physician, librarian, and medical historian, he is remembered for bringing older medical texts back into view for new readers. His career moved between practice, scholarship, and careful work with the library of the Royal College of Surgeons.
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About the author
Born in Leith, Edinburgh, in 1799, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and earned his M.D. in 1819. He later built his career in London, becoming a member of the College of Surgeons in 1823 and a licentiate of the College of Physicians in 1837.
Alongside medical practice, he became librarian of the newly formed library of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1827, a post he held until 1845. Sources describe him not only as a physician but also as a medical writer, translator, and historian, which helps explain why his name appears on both medical works and scholarly editions.
He is best known for making important medical writings more accessible, especially through his work as an editor and translator of older texts. He died in Barnes, London, on September 21, 1878.