Lanark’s Greatest Medical Pioneer

William Smellie, born 1697 in Lanark, Scotland, died March 5, 1763 in Lanark, was an important obstetrician and has been called the father of British midwifery.

He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London and Paris, he opened a practice in London and began teaching. He re-invented the obstetrical forceps which had been created by the Romans . This invention helped with the delivery breech babies, and he bacame a very successful lecturer on the subject ,charging three guineas a time.

Contemporary illustration showing a complicated situation

William Smellie retired to Lanark and he built a house called Smyllum . It was here that he died and he was survived by his wife Eupham Borland. His house was encased by the modern house that we see today by that I mean 19th century.

William Smellie’s Memorial Chapel

Memorial plaque – mindlessly vandalised

William Smellie donated his considerable collection of books to Lanark Grammar. Fortunately these were removed to the library since they are very valuable and would have been either vandalised or stolen if they had been left there. They are a major intellectual and cultural asset to the town if not to Scotland.

Roof of the chapel – again vandalised

An attempt made by the vandals to get into the chapel

At the time of writing the update to this presentation ; Lanark in Bloom has worked hard to do up the William Smellie Memorial , but unfortunately the memorial is still targeted by vandals . Bottles of empty alco pops and whisky were found on the roof at end of February 2012.