Neil Cameron of Inverness

[camerc27]

I am seeking information about Neil Cameron/Neil Archibald Cameron, formerly of Mansfield Victoria , Australia, supposedly born in Inverness c.1820’s, son of Neil Cameron of the same place, a medical doctor. I have been unable to ascertain the source of this information, but it is repeated on almost every family tree which has him.
Is there a site to search medical practitioners from this era? Is anyone aware of the course of study to qualify as MD for this era? My knowledge is general & uninformed - mostly relying on the gruesome tales of anatomy schools, etc.
Camerc

[Forfarian]

You are very wise to question the information on all these trees. Unfortunately people find a tree and copy it into their own without verifying the details, and it doesn't take long for an error to proliferate among dozens of online trees.

In order to attain the degree of MD (Doctor of Medicine), you have to submit a thesis to a university. If Neil Cameron Sr did indeed have an MD degree, it should not be too hard to find him as there were only four universities in Scotland (St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh) plus two in England (Oxford, Cambridge) in the late 18th century.

However just because he was a medical doctor does not mean that he was actually an MD. The basic medical degree is Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB or similar). Again, if he was MB ChB he must have studied at a university, and the universities would normally have information about all their graduates, usually including where they were from and the names of their fathers.

There are printed tomes with lists of graduates of the University of Aberdeen.
There are lists of graduates of the University of Glasgow at https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/browse-graduates/ but there is no Neil Cameron listed.
For St Andrews and Edinburgh I think you might have to contact the respective university archives.

On the other hand, I don't know when it became obligatory to have any formal medical training at all in order to practise as a medical doctor.

Nor do I know of a site for searching early 19th century medical practitioners.

[Fit1956]

Hello, I am researching the Cameron family tree of Constance Winifred Cameron, daughter of James Patrick (Patsy) Cameron (1873 Maitland Victoria) and grand daughter of Neil Archibald Cameron (1822 Inverness Scotland). Similarly, I find the the father of Neil Archibald shown in a number of trees as being a Dr and married to Florence Cameron (nee MacDonald).  On reading you post, I also note I share your concerns regarding the medical qualification. If this helps, I have located the following in the England and Wales Index of Wills and Probates 1853 - 1943. For the year 1897 at Page 5 there is a record for Lieutenant- Colonel Archibald Cameron Brigade Surgeon, whose death occurred on August 1, 1896,was confirmed by Christina Cameron or Meiklem (wife of John Paterson Meiklem physician and surgeon. The death was sealed in London on 10 April 1897. I did endeavor to attach an image of the relevant page however it was too large to be accepted. At this time, I haven't pursued further investigation of this record, but would expect the will record and military records might yield useful information to establish relevance and veracity. Best Regards P

[MonicaL]

Hi Camerc and P, welcome to Rootschat 

In case it helps others with research here, Neil's parents on his death reg index entry in 1898 were given as Neil Cameron (as mentioned) and mother as Flora/ence McDonald.

Monica

[CelticAnnie]

I too have Inverness ancestors -- not Camerons -- who were in that area from about 1804 10 1840; and I uncovered quite a lot of information them from online newspapers of that place and time.  So maybe you would uncover some information there too!  Go to the britishnewspaperarchive.com and check out the Inverness Courier on there for your period.  It's not a free service, unfortunately, but it's not wildly expensive to invest in a few credits.


Anyway, just a thought -- it might turn up something for you,  particularly since it sounds like your Camerons would have been established figures in society ie not just your run-of-the-mill labourers. 

Happy hunting!


CELTICANNIE

[MonicaL]

In which document does it actually refer to Neil's father being a doctor? What was Neil's occupation when he arrived in Australia?

Any luck with confirming his travel details? Do any of the registrations show how long he had been in Australia?

Monica