82 PROCEEDINGS OE THE 



distinguished University career, taking the M.D. with high honours 

 and the gold medal in 1853. During this period he published in 

 the ' Annals of Natural History ' his only natural history paper, 

 which deals with the British Cariees. His surgical work was from 

 the first upon the pelvis, and as an obstetrician he up to 1864 

 attained a rapidly increasing fame. While in Edinburgh he became 

 an intimate friend and private assistant of Sir James Simpson ; 

 and on coming to London in 1855, he was on this account 

 received with special favour. Joining the Middlesex Hospital 

 and Samaritan Hospital for Women, he ten years later became 

 Professor of Midwifery in King's College and Obstetric Physician 

 to its Hospital; and as his private practice at the same time 

 rapidly increased, he came to occupy a leading position in the 

 surgical world. In 1864, enfeebled by a severe attack of palsy, 

 he relinquished academic work and, becoming a Consulting Phy- 

 sician at King's College Hospital and remaining a member of 

 Council of the College itself, he gave himself otherwise to private 

 practice. His best known writings are an early treatise (1851) on 

 Pelvic Celluhtis, and his Lumleian Lectures of 1887. He con- 

 tributed articles to Eeynolds's ' System of Medicine ' and AUbutt 

 and Playfair's ' System of Gynaecology.' 



He became in 1850 a Member and in 1864 a Pellow of the Eoyal 

 College of Physicians of London, and meanwhile a Fellow of that 

 of Edinburgh : he served on the Council of the former. He was 

 President of the Obstetrical Society of London in 1875, of the 

 Section of Obstetric Medicine of the British Medical Association, 

 and of other cognate bodies. He was an Hon. Member of 

 the Obstetrical and Gynsecological Societies of Berlin, Leipzig, and 

 America, and a Vice-President of the Paris Medical Society. 



A singularly charming man, Priestley was popular on all hands. 

 He was Physician- Accoucheur to the late Princess Alice of Hesse, 

 and to the Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. 



An honorary LL.D. was conferred upon him by the University of 

 Edinburgh, which with that of St. Andrew's he was in 1896 chosen 

 to represent in Parliament. He received knighthood in 1893. 



His death by cancer, in his 71st year, took place at his London 

 residence, after a long illness, on April 11th, 1900, and he is 

 buried at Warnham, in Sussex. 



He was elected a Eellow of the Linnean Society on November 

 1st, 1888. 



Samuel Stevens was born in London on 11th August, 1817, and j 

 in early life he aspired to the calling of an artist. Forsaking the 1 

 idea, he for a time entered his brother's business as a partner in 

 the well-known auctioneering establishment in Covent Garden, 

 and, forsaking that in turn, he in 1848 embarked upon the 

 Natural History Agency which made him famous, through his 

 association with the reception and distribution of the Bates and 

 Wallace and other important collections. He later returned to 

 the auctioneering business, on the death of his brother Mr. J. C. 



I 



