of Edinburgh, Session 1879 - 80 . 
347 
2d December 1809. He was sprung from a family which had been 
long settled in Glasgow, and whose names are often mentioned in its 
annals. He received the whole of his early education at the High 
School of Glasgow, and afterwards at the University. Subsequently 
he prosecuted his medical studies in the University under such 
eminent teachers as Thomas Thomson and Graham in chemistry, 
Jeffray in anatomy, Burns in surgery, Bodham in physic, Hooker, 
the elder, in botany, &c. After taking his degree of M.D. in 1830 
he spent some time in Paris and other continental cities. Beturning 
home, he in 1833 becanie a Bellow of that ancient body, the Faculty 
of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Ere long he succeeded in 
establishing himself in an extensive practice, and ever since then 
down to his decease he continued to practise in Glasgow with great 
acceptance. It may show the estimation in which he was held by 
his professional brethren of the Faculty that he was exceptionally 
elected again and again as its President. This estimation was still 
further shown in 1862 when he was elected its representative in the 
General Council of Medical Education and Registration. This 
honourable and responsible office he continued to hold for fifteen 
years, when he resigned, much to the regret as well of his colleagues 
in the council as of the fellows of the faculty. In that council he 
was not a very frequent speaker — for he did not lay claim to oratorical 
gifts — but when he did speak what he said was terse and marked by 
shrewd common sense and judiciousness, so that he was always 
listened to attentively by the council, amongst whom he was greatly 
esteemed. 
He made few contributions to medical literature. In 1862, how- 
ever, he published “ Medical Statistics of Life Assurance, being an 
Inquiry into the causes of Death among Members of the Scottish 
Amicable Assurance Society from 1826 till I860.” In this work, 
which was very carefully prepared, he gave an analysis of the 
diseases which had proved fatal to the assured as compared with the 
general mortality. This was a valuable contribution to the medical 
department of life assurance, and was well calculated to aid the 
medical referees of assurance companies in the selection of lives for 
assurance. 
Dr Fleming had ample opportunities of giving vent to his philan- 
thropic feeling in the management of various charitable institutions 
2 T 
VOL x. 
