author
Sir Robert Christison
1797–1882
A pioneering Scottish physician and toxicologist, he helped turn the study of poisons into a rigorous scientific field. His career in Edinburgh made him one of the best-known medical figures of 19th-century Britain.
1 Audiobook
Treatise on Poisons In relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic
by Sir Robert Christison
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in 1797, Sir Robert Christison studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and continued his training in London and Paris. He went on to build a major career in medicine, becoming especially known for his work in toxicology and medical jurisprudence.
Christison taught at the University of Edinburgh and served in leading roles in Scottish medical life, including as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He is often remembered for his influential writing on poisons, which helped establish toxicology as a more precise and evidence-based discipline.
He was later made a baronet and remained a prominent public figure in British medicine until his death in Edinburgh in 1882. Today he is remembered chiefly for his scientific work, his long academic career, and his place in the medical history of 19th-century Scotland.