William Darling, M.D.
William Darling, M.D., Professor of General and Descriptive Anatomy
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William Darling
Death date: Dec 25, 1884
Place of death: New York
Type of practice: AllopathJournal of the American Medical Association Citation: 4:19:163Darling, William 1840.
A. M., University of the City of New-York, 1862 ; M. D., 1842; M. R. C. S., 1856; F. R. C. S., 1866; Prosec-
tor, Chair of Surgery, University of the City of New-York, 1842-45; Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1845-53;
Acting Professor, 1851-52; Professor, 1866; Acting Professor, Anatomy, University of Vermont, 1871-73;
Professor, 1873; Senior Assistant Physician, Quarantine Hospital, Port of New-York, 1853-55; Senior Assistant
Surgeon, New-York State Emigrants' Hospital, 1855-56. Born about 1805 ; died in New-York City, December 24,
1884; cause, acute lobar pneumonia.
DARLING, WILLIAM, New York city, was born in Berwickshire, Scotland, in 1815. After spending several years nt a private seminary in acquiring a knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages, and of mathematics, he went to -the univ. of Edinburgh, wh;re he obtained a prize by competitive examination fjr his proficiency in the classics. Abandoning his original intention of entering into holy orders, in 1834 he became the private pupil of the late Dr. Valentine Mott, and attended the lectures of the coll. of phys. and surg. in the city of New York for six years, b'ing at the same lime a regular attendant at the city hosp. In 1840 he was appointed ass't phys. to Bellevue hosp., and while acting as such had charge of the male and female penitentiary hosps., and also of the small-pox hosp. situated on lilackwelFs island. His term of service at Bellevue having expired, and following his preceptor, Dr. Valentine Mott, in 1841 he entered as a pupil of the raid, dep't of the univ. of the city of New York, from which he was graduated M. D. in 1842. A few weeks after receiving his degree he wxs appointed prosector of surg. in thi same institution, which position he held until 1845, when he was appointed by the lale Prof. Grannlle Sharp,- P.utison demons, of auat. This appointment he held until 1853, when he became senior ass't phys. to the quarantine h;sp., Späten island. In the session of 1851-52, after the death of Prof. Pattison, who delivered only six lectures of the course, he was acting prof. In 1855 he was appointed senior ass't surg. to the emigrants' hosp., Ward's island, where he remained one year. Mitters of business demanding his presence in London, he repaired there in 1856, and on the 2Ist of November, of the same year, he was admitted a member of the Raval coll. of surg. of England.
He remained in Europe for ten years, most of the time in London, in daily attendance at the lectures and cliniques at the various hosps. ; and also the lecture* at the coll. of surg., the Royal institution, Gresham coll., school of arts, and school of mines, etc. During the same period he spent some time in Paris, Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc., employing it in attendance on lectures, visiting museums, reading-rooms, etc¡ In 1862 he received the degree of A. M. from the univ. of the city of New York. In iSoó he was appointed prof, of anat. in the univ. of New York, and before leaving London to return to New York he obtained what had long been the object of his ambition, viz., the fellowship of the Royal coll. of surg. He was admitted to examination on the recommendation of the late Sir William Kerguson, Mr. John Wood, and Mr. Henry Smith, and having been found qualified received his diploma of fellowship June I4th, 1866. In 1850 he was elected senior member of the medico- chirurg. soc. of Philadelphia. In 180S he was chosen censor of the New York coll. of veterinary surg. In 1871 he was acting, and in 1873 was appointed, prof, of anat. in the univ. of Vt. In 1877 the R. I. med. sue. elected him an lion, mem., and on Nov. Slh, 1877, he was elected foreign correspondent of the Société D'Anthropologie of Paris.
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Dr. William Darling, the eccentric Professor of Anatomy of the University Medical College, died last week of pneumonia. Prof. Darling was a man of profound learning of a limited kind, and his studious habits and retentive memory made him, without doubt, one of the best living anatomists. His room at the college, where he lived, was a perfect Golgotha, and he might have been said to live cheek by jowl with his subjects. He was exceedingly simple and penurious in his habits, and for many years walked several miles to the lower part of the city for his economical, farinaceous meals, which, for great occasions, were supplemented with a piece of meat.
The stories regarding him which have floated about the College are very entertaining, and his avidity for morbid specimens, and anxiety in regard to approaching deaths, was comical. His pathological tastes rather led him to acquire the strange and picturesque than those specimens which were of absolute scientific value. In spite of certain peculiarities, he was an agreeable, quaint old Scotchman.
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From Bellevue Hospital:
Darling,* William 1840.
A. M., University of the City of New-York, 1862 ; M.D., 1842; M. R. C. S., 1856; F. R. C. S., 1866; Prosector, Chair of Surgery, University of the City of New- York, 1842-45; Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1845-53; Acting Professor, 1851-52; Professor, 1866; Acting Professor, Anatomy, University of Vermont, 1871-73; Professor, 1873; Senior Assistant Physician, Quarantine Hospital, Port of New-York, 1853-55; Senior Assistant Surgeon, New-York State Emigrants' Hospital, 1855-56. Born about 1805 ; died in New-York City, December 24, 1884; cause, acute lobar pneumonia.
