Sir James Young Simpson

A white marble bust of physician Sir James Young Simpson is on the wall of St Andrew's chapel in Westminster Abbey (unfortunately rather obscured by a large monument in front of it). This is by the sculptor William Brodie, 1879. Below the bust is a crest of a snake coiled round a tree trunk and his motto is shown above. The inscription, in a brown inlay, reads:

Sir James Young Simpson, Baronet M.D. Edinburgh to whose genius and benevolence the world owes the blessings derived from the use of chloroform for the relief of suffering. Laus Deo

On the west side:

Born at Bathgate June 7 1811. Died at Edinburgh May 6 1870 and buried there

He was a son of a baker, David Simpson, and his wife Mary (Jarvey) and was educated at Edinburgh university. He graduated in 1832 and later travelled to visit hospitals in Europe. Back in Edinburgh he was appointed to the City Lying-In (maternity) hospital and held the chair of midwifery at the university. Although he is remembered worldwide for his work with chloroform he also laboured to solve the problem of hospital infections. On 26th December 1839 he married his cousin Jessie Grindlay but only five of their nine children survived him. In 1847 he was appointed one of the Queen's physicians in Scotland and later was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and was created a Baronet. His family declined the offer of burial in the Abbey. Son Walter succeeded to the barony.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004