350 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
Next to the University of Edinburgh the Royal Society of Edinburgh 
held a place near his heart, and of his more important contributions to 
science thirty-nine are to be found in its Proceedings and twenty-four in 
the Transactions. He was elected a Fellow on 4th February 1861, became 
a Member of Council in 1866, and succeeded Professor Allman as one of 
the Secretaries to the Ordinary Meetings in 1869. This office he held for 
twenty-two years, and was associated in it first with Professor Tait and 
then with Professor Crum Brown. In 1891 he was elected a Vice-President 
of the Society, and served for ten years, Dr Ramsajr H. Traquair taking 
his place as Secretary. 
When the office of President became vacant by the lamented death of 
Lord Kelvin, the Fellows turned to Sir William Turner, who was elected 
President in 1908. He occupied the position for five years, and became a 
permanent Member of Council on retiring. He made an admirable 
President both at the Council board and at the meetings of the Society. 
During the greater part of his fifty -five years as a Fellow he held 
office in the Society, but one of his most important services was rendered 
at a critical time before he became President, during the negotiations with 
the Government when the Society had to remove from the Royal Institu- 
tion buildings. He loyally supported the late Professor Chrystal in 
applying for the new rooms in George Street, and it was his speech that 
convinced the Secretary for Scotland of the justice and weight of the claim 
made by the Society. 
His presidential address on the occasion of the opening of the new 
building in George Street, 8th November 1909, “ On the Rise of Scientific 
Study in Scotland,” contained an historic sketch of the Society, with lists 
of the officials from the commencement, and an index, under both authors 
and subjects, of the communications to the Transactions from 1889 to 1908, 
thus supplementing the index published in 1890. 
Turner became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1877, and 
contributed papers to the Proceedings and Transactions. He served on 
the Council in 1890. 
In 1867 the Medical Professors of the University of Edinburgh were 
nearly all very distinguished men of marked personality, who did not 
hesitate to express their views, whether about scientific or medical matters 
or each other, with a freedom and force that led to serious differences at 
times. Turner managed to keep friends with every one, and his business 
capacity was soon recognised in the Senate. His master in University 
politics was Sir Robert Christison, Bart., who not only imbued him with 
his own attachment to the interests of the University, but helped to create 
