George Ballingall

In the early years of the 18th century British politics were dominated by war. With British forces involved in the Napoleonic Wars and forces active in establishing an Empire from Australia, through the Indian Sub-Continent and much of Africa to the Americas, it is little short of astonishing that Edinburgh was the only centre in Britain to offer formal instruction in military surgery. George Ballingall, who was appointed to the Edinburgh Chair of Military Surgery in 1825, was instrumental in the establishment of Chairs of Military Surgery in London and Dublin. Regarded by many as the father of British Military Surgery, he emphasised the importance not merely of battle injuries, but of diagnosing and treating those illnesses to which European troops were particularly liable overseas.

At his suggestion, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh allowed candidates for the Fellowship Examination to take a course of Military Surgery as one of two courses each candidate was required to attend. His textbook "Outlines of Military Surgery" was a classic of its day but in many ways he was the victim of his own success. After his death, James Syme persuaded the authorities that the topics taught under Military Surgery could be taught by other departments, and on Syme’s advice the Chair of Military Surgery was abolished in 1856.

George Ballingall was born in Forglen, near Banff, the son of the Parish Minister. Educated initially in the Parish school of Falkland in Fife, he attended four literary sessions at the University of St Andrews where he began an apprenticeship in medicine. Going on to study medicine in Edinburgh in 1803, he came under the influence of the Anatomist, John Barclay and was later to acknowledge his debt to Barclay about whom he wrote a short biography. As a token of his debt he present the skeleton of an elephant which he had prepared, and which is still in the College Museum to this day.

After receiving his Diploma from the College in 1805, he became Assistant Surgeon to the Royal Scots, the First Regiment of Foot. When the regiment was posted to Madras, he was present at the capture of Java in 1811. At this time, The Duke of Kent, who was Colonel of the regiment, recognised the potential of the young military surgeon and became his benefactor throughout most of his life. He also saw service in Europe as a military surgeon during the occupation of Paris in 1815 and on returning from the army, he became a lecturer in Military Surgery at Edinburgh University in 1823. At that time this was the only centre in the British Isles at which Military Surgery was taught. In 1825 he succeeded Professor John Thompson as Regius Professor of Military Surgery, a Chair which he was to hold with distinction for thirty years. Ballingall took a more holistic view of Military Surgery than his predecessor. His experiences in India and France had convinced him of the need for military surgeons to be able to diagnose and treat not merely battle injuries, but the illness to which European troops overseas were particularly liable. In particular he recognised the public health aspects of military barracks and camps, writing about ways in which the design of camps could be changed to improve standards of hygiene .

As a result of his enthusiasm, teaching in military surgery flourished. The East India Company, at that time the biggest and most important commercial arm of Empire, required candidates for their service to attend a course in military surgery. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh altered its examination regulations so that candidates could offer military surgery as one of the two prescribed surgical courses. As a result of this the medical departments of the Army, the Navy and the Ordinance gave the same option to candidates for their respective branches of the service.

Ballingall was instrumental in the establishment of Chairs of Military Surgery in London and Dublin. He received strong support from The Lancet and in 1854 the War Department set aside funding for the Chairs.

His textbook “Outlines of Military Surgery" was to become the most authoritative of its day eventually running to five editions. In 1851 he published a monograph "Observations on the site and constructions of hospitals", which drew on a lifetime of experience with the design of military camps.

His writing gives and insight into the limitations of abdominal surgery in the pre-anaesthetic, pre - antisepsis era: "Wounds of the small intestines are, for the most part, fatal.". he wrote, "No man in his senses would think of enlarging the external wound for the purpose of searching out and sewing up the wounded part of the gut... even when the wounded intestine protrudes externally".

He was rewarded with many honors. He was Surgeon to the Queen in Scotland, a Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh and a member of the Medical Societies of Paris, Vienna, St Petersburg and Berlin. He received a knighthood in 1830.

Sir George Ballingall died quite suddenly near Blairgowrie in 1855. Before a successor was appointed, James Syme persuaded the Secretary of State for War and the University that the teaching of all aspects of military surgery could be taught equally well by other departments. Syme's views carried considerable authority, and on his advice the Chair of Military Surgeon was abolished in 1856.