The Life and Times of James Jeffray,Regius Professor of Anatomy,University of Glasgow 1790–1848

Abstract

James Jeffray, Regius Professor of Anatomy at Glasgow University from 1790–1848, worked at a time when the only legal supply of material for dissection was the bodies of hanged criminals. The Napoleonic Wars created a large demand for anatomical teaching and Jeffray saw the height of the body-snatching era. At Glasgow University, Jeffray supervised the establishment of the Hunterian Museum, negotiated a separate Chair of Botany and was a prime mover in founding the Botanic Gardens. The fetal circulation was a special interest and he is remembered as the inventor of the chain saw, which he designed from a watch chain for use in excision of diseased joints in an effort to prevent amputation.