Sir William Turner. 



xxxv 



in chemistry a}; the London University, and obtained his M.E.C.S. 

 •qualification. 



While working at St. Bartholomew's, the place and nature of his future 

 life-work was determined by an unexpected occurrence. In 1854 Prof. John 

 Goodsir, of Edinburgh, then in infirm health, when passing through London, 

 returning from a sojourn at Wildbad, called on Paget and consulted him as 

 to the choice of a demonstrator to assist him in the anatomical classes in his 

 University. Paget at once suggested Turner, and, after a brief characteristic 

 interview, Goodsir appointed him as his assistant on the spot. 



Turner entered upon his new duties in the winter session of 1854. At 

 first he found his surroundings somewhat uncongenial, but his good temper, 

 sagacity, and straightforward earnestness soon disarmed all strained relation- 

 ships with those who had resented the intrusion of a stranger, and in a 

 very short time the young teacher earned the good will of all with whom he 

 was associated. He thoroughly adapted himself to his environment, and 

 before long was strong enough to have his own way in his work. It was 

 his duty to give systematic anatomical demonstrations, to supervise the 

 practical work in the dissecting room, and to continue the demonstrative 

 teaching of histology, which Goodsir had started some years before, with the 

 aid of Turner's predecessor, Drummond. 



Por some years the routine teaching occupied his whole attention, but, by 

 the time that he was established in his work, he began to publish the 

 records of his anatomical researches. Some of the earliest are descriptions 

 of anomalous conditions found in the dissecting room, but some were records 

 of work of more practical value. Two of these earlier papers were especially 

 important : " On Anastomotic Vessels Connecting the Parietal and Visceral 

 Branches of the Abdominal Aorta," and " On a Supplementary Vascular 

 Supply to the Nutrient Arteries of the Lungs." He also began his studies 

 on cranio-cerebral topography and on the cerebral convolutions, which he 

 expanded later into the larger papers on the subject, which are known to all 

 anatomists. During his service as demonstrator he had as his students, and 

 afterwards as junior colleagues, Cleland, Traquair, Chiene, Morrison Watson, 

 and others, who afterwards filled important teaching posts in Edinburgh and 

 elsewhere. 



Goodsir died in 1867, and by that time Turner had been recognised as the 

 most distinguished anatomical teacher in Scotland, so his election to the 

 Chair was a foregone conclusion. Those were the bad old days, when 

 candidates had to furnish the electors with volumes of testimonials. Few 

 such lists ever equalled in weight and warmth those that Turner sent in. 

 The list included letters from all the leading authorities whose testimony 

 was of moment. Two rival candidates also sent in applications, but Turner 

 was unanimously elected. He was Professor of Anatomy for 36 years. In 

 this capacity he took the elementary courses for those beginning the subject, 

 and in this work he was facile princeps. His slow, deliberate utterance, 

 well chosen, clear and graphic mode of description, together with the living 



VOL. LXXX1X. — B. / 



