‘Were it of hoot, or cold, or moyste, or drye,
And where they engendered and of what humour,
He was a verray parfit praktisour.’
—Chaucer, Prologue 420–422.
William Gregory was the last of this great academic family to hold a chair in a Scottish University.
He was the fourth son of Professor James Gregory, and having been brought up among the traditions of medicine, he turned to the study of it instinctively, though the necessity laid upon him was by no means the same as that which had made his forefathers physicians in spite of themselves. He had not gone far in his medical course when he decided to be a chemist rather than a doctor. The magic of Professor Hope’s experiments made at least one convert and as he sat in the class-room observing the strange effects of chemicals, he made up his mind that if it were possible he would some day take the teacher’s place. With rude implements he would spend hours at home repeating the processes which he had watched in the class, his mind all alive to the interest of his subject, and his poor body much neglected. These happy hours in his laboratory were dearly paid for by the delicacy, which began to show itself about this time. The noxious fumes of the chemicals acted as a slow poison, and from this stage of his life he had to struggle with ill health, all his occupations being interrupted at times by unconquerable pain.
He graduated M.D. in 1828, and then went abroad to study chemistry in the famous schools of the continent. At Giessen, the most important of these, he had the good fortune to attract the attention of the great teacher, whose work had made the university famous, and from this time forward, Liebig was the friend and correspondent of William Gregory.
During the years when Gregory was completing his studies abroad, and teaching successively in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin, King’s College, Aberdeen, was going through considerable difficulties in connection with the post of mediciner. In the days of John Gregory’s tenure of that office, he had as we already know, made efforts to improve the medical curriculum there, but without success. A step in advance was made in 1801, when it was determined that a candidate for the degree of M.D. must ‘oblidge himself that he is not, nor will be concerned in the sale of quack medicines of any description!’ and a further step was taken in 1817 by the authorities insisting on a satisfactory account of the ‘classical, literary and scientifical education of the candidate.’
Between 1824 and 1826, an attempt was made by the Chancellor and Senatus to insist that the mediciner should teach medicine, but Dr Bannerman, who then held that office, would only consent to consider the matter for a year, and after that time he let it rest. In 1836, he was advised that if he would neither teach nor appoint a substitute, a lecturer would be chosen, and paid out of his salary. This threat, however, was never carried out, and he died in 1838, and it was to this post of mediciner, made vacant by his death, that William Gregory was appointed on February 19th, 1839.
Dr William Pulteney Alison, to whom the electors of King’s College applied for suggestions as to a suitable candidate, had curiously enough never mentioned the name of his cousin, and it was only owing to the intervention of Thomas Clark who held the Chair of Chemistry in Marischal College that Gregory came to apply. After giving him minute instructions as to the form which his application must take, he added, ‘Don’t mention me no more than the Devil.’ The name of this friend was therefore kept out of sight, and Gregory was in due course appointed to the vacant professorship. It was with great joy that his advent was announced to the professors of King’s College. Their difficulties in improving the medical course, when the very mediciner would not teach a class, had been insuperable, but now they felt a man of influence was coming amongst them, who would be the means of promoting the interests of their university, and who would give the benefit of a hereditary power of teaching to the students, whom they felt sure his great name would attract to their midst.