Biographical notices of medical officers recently deceased.

Date:
[between 1850 and 1859?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Biographical notices of medical officers recently deceased. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Honorable the Governor-General of India inserted the following para- graph in the General Orders of February 14th, 1846, which was after- wards copied into the London Gazette of April 1st (p. 1220) : “ His (the Governor-General’s) thanks are due to l)r. Walker, surgeon to the Governor-General, whose ability is only to be equalled by his zeal and humanity.” In consideration of Ids services, Mr. Walker, though only an assis- tant-surgeon, was offered by Lord Hardinge the lucrative post of Superintending Surgeon of the Gwalior Contingent, one of the best appointments in the service, and which was coveted by men much his senior in rank. Tins appointment, however, he declined, in order that he might realize his favourite idea of organizing the Medical College of Bengal. He was accordingly, towards the end of 1847, appointed Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Calcutta. From the first, he resisted all the temptations to private practice, which in Calcutta is peculiarly attractive, and to which his high reputation would speedily have introduced him, and resolved to devote himself entirely to his colle- giate duties. In these he manifested an intense interest, and was the main- spring and author of every important alteration in the curricular sys- tem of education, and, in fact, was one of the principal means of rais- ing the system of tuition in the College to its present high character. At the same time, he kept up his researches in comparative anatomy, and made annual expeditions to the coast of Arracan, for the purpose of investigating the structure and habits of the zoophytes and the other lower orders of marine life. He collected an immense number of pre- parations and drawings, his aim being to found in the capital of India, for the Hindoos, a great museum, which might rival that of John Hun- ter. To give an idea of the amount of work which his professorial duties involved, it may be mentioned, that, during the last session at the Bengal Medical College, 1,100 bodies were dissected, entirely under his superintendence. Mr. Walker also took a prominent part in the proceedings and management of the Asiatic Society. At the close of 1855, Mr. Walker had a serious illness, which left him so debilitated that his friends advised a visit to Europe as indis- pensable for the restoration of his health. He, however, chiefly in con- sequence of his slender means, did not follow their advice, but content- ed himself with his annual tour to Arracan. By this he was consider- ably invigorated ; but, soon after his return to Calcutta, symptoms of disease of the kidneys manifested themselves which made insidious but rapid progress. In March 1857 his health completely broke down, and he was compelled, though reluctantly, to resign his duties, and sail for England, after upwards of seventeen years’ continuous service in India. On his arrival in London, on the 4th of May, he put himself under the care of his old friend and colleague. Dr. Jackson, to whose house, at Hendon, he shortly after removed. He was also seen by Drs. Bright and Bence Jones; but, notwithstanding everything was done which medical skill could suggest, he became suddenly worse, and on the 22nd of May he expired, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, deeply regretted by every one who know his sterling worth and ardent love of science. Throughout his whole life, Mr. Walker was singularly notable for his plain, blunt character, straightforwardness and generosity. Lord Hardinge was wont to say of him, that he was the most disinterested