Robert Spittal
Life
File:1 and 3 London Street, Edinburgh.jpg
Spittal was born 9 January 1804 to Marion Brown and Sir James Spittal. The family moved to 59 South Bridge in Edinburgh's Old Town in 1810.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1810
He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and became an assistant physician at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In 1829 he was President of the Edinburgh Plinian Natural History Society and President of the Royal Medical Society in 1833.{{cite book|title=Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002|date=July 2006|publisher=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|isbn=0-902-198-84-X|url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf}}
He undertook further postgraduate studies in Germany and received his doctorate (MD) from the University of Giessen in 1838. On his return he began lecturing in Medical Acoustics at the University of Edinburgh and from 1839 also lectured at Edinburgh's Extra Mural School. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Spittal was appointed Physician to the Queen in Scotland.
He carried out research on the origins of breath sounds and how these should be interpreted by auscultation.{{Cite journal|last=Spittal|first=Robert|title=Experiments and Observations on the Cause of the Sounds of Respiration |date=1838|journal=The Lancet|language=en|volume=30|issue=784|pages=844–845|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(02)96145-3|pmid=30330298 |pmc=5775728 }}
In 1840 he was living at a flat at 7 Nelson Street.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1840
In 1841 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposer was Sir Robert Christison.
He died at home 3 London StreetEdinburgh Post Office Directory 1852 in Edinburgh's Second New Town on 7 April 1852. He is buried next to his parents in Greyfriars Kirkyard.
References
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Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Category:19th-century Scottish medical doctors
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
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