of Edinburgh, Session 1870 - 71 . 
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success, that he probably then conceived the idea, in the event of 
a vacancy in the University Midwifery Chair, of offering himself 
as a candidate. 
In the year 1839 the venerable Dr Hamilton, who occupied that 
chair, died, on which event Simpson became a candidate, support¬ 
ing his claims by an octavo volume of 200 pages of testimonials, 
and accompanied by a catalogue of the museum which, in the short 
space of three years, he had formed, containing no less than 700 
obstetric preparations. The assiduity with which he plied his can¬ 
vass, and the steps he took to overcome objections, may be judged 
of from the circumstance that one of the magistrates (the present 
Lord Provost of this city) having stated it as a drawback, if not a 
disqualification, that he was an unmarried man, Dr Simpson replied, 
“ I admit it is a disqualification, but it may perhaps be removed.'’ 
The next day he started for Liverpool, and contracted a mar¬ 
riage there with the daughter of Mr Walter Gfrindlay. In about 
ten days thereafter, he returned to Edinburgh ; and having called 
on Bailie Law, he informed him of the step he had taken in 
deference to his opinion, and then claimed a promise of his vote— 
which he at once received. It was by that vote he won the Pro¬ 
fessorship. 
After Simpson was elected, there were confident predictions that 
the obstetrical class in the University would fall off, and that many 
fewer patients would come to Edinburgh to be under the Pro¬ 
fessor’s care. Animadversions fell freely on the magistrates, as 
patrons of the chair, for electing a man without either experience or 
reputation, instead of his opponent, who had both. These antici¬ 
pations soon proved to be utterly unfounded. After Simpson’s 
election the Midwifery Class was crowded. Not only did students 
flock to it in greater numbers even than formerly, but medical 
officers of the navy and army, when home on furlough, frequently 
attended to hear the original views of the youthful Professor, 
and were delighted by the aptness of his illustrations and the 
earnestness of his style of lecturing. 
He also carried on obstetric investigations and experiments on 
various points of difficulty, accounts of which were given b}^ him 
from time to time in papers read at Societies, or inserted in 
medical journals. He soon came to be employed extensively 
