James Inglis

James Inglis (1813-1851) was a Scottish physician, author and geologist. Early life James Inglis was born in Glasgow on 6 September 1813, the son of James Inglis, a merchant and his wife, Charlotte Spalding, the daughter of Charles Spalding, improver of the diving bell. Through his mother, Inglis was a member of the Smalls of Dirnanean, a Perthshire family that included direct ancestor, James Small, factor of the forfeited Robertson estates after Culloden. After early schooling in Musselburgh, Inglis became a student at the University of Edinburgh. While a student in Edinburgh, he received the Hope prize for chemistry for his paper, Essay on iodine and bromine. His mentor during this time was Sir George Ballingall. Receiving his medical degree in 1834, he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians of England in that same year. Medical career Inglis set up practice at Castle Douglas. In 1835, he performed a brilliant home operation on gunshot victim, Maria Kennedy, removing the bullet from behind her left frontal bone. She had been shot by Kirkcudbright Stewart-officer Robert Blair. The patient survived and Inglis provided detailed testimony of the operation and the condition of the patient at the trial.