William Stirling (physiologist) facts for kids
William "Billy" Stirling (born January 26, 1851, died October 1, 1932) was a Scottish scientist who studied the human body. He was a professor of physiology, which is the study of how living things work. He also helped start the physiology department at the Victoria University of Manchester.
A Look at His Life
William Stirling was born in a place called Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1851.
He went to school at Dollar Academy. Then, he studied science and medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He was a very good student, earning high honors in his degrees. He even won a gold medal for his medical degree in 1875. After that, he continued his studies in Germany and France with famous professors like Carl Ludwig and Louis-Antoine Ranvier.
When he returned to the University of Edinburgh, he worked as a demonstrator. This meant he helped teach students about zoology (the study of animals) and later, physiology.
In 1877, William Stirling became a professor at the University of Aberdeen. He taught in a building called Marischal College. In the same year, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a special honor for scientists. He brought new ways of teaching to Aberdeen. Before him, students mostly looked at tiny parts of the body under a microscope. Stirling started showing them experiments to understand how the body works.
Later, in 1886, Stirling moved to Owens College, which is now the Victoria University of Manchester. He became a professor there, teaching physiology and histology (the study of tissues). He stayed in this role until he retired in 1919.
From 1902 to 1913, Stirling was the head of the medical school at Owens College. He also gave many public talks about medicine and staying healthy. Once he became a professor, he focused more on teaching, managing the department, and writing books instead of doing new scientific research. People said he was a great teacher because he was very clear and precise.
He also translated a German book about human physiology into English in 1884. He added his own parts to it, including details about how to check the chest and heart. He also wrote his own books, like Outlines of Practical Physiology (1888) and Outlines of Practical Histology (1890). He was also a professor at the Royal Institution in London from 1906 to 1909.
Family Life
William Stirling had a son, also named William Stirling. His son became an eye surgeon in Manchester.
His Books
Here are some of the books William Stirling wrote or helped with:
- A Manual of Human Physiology
- A text-book of practical histology, published in 1881. This book helped students learn about body tissues.
- Outlines of practical physiology: being a manual for the physiological laboratory, including chemical and experimental physiology, with reference to practical medicine, published in 1895. This was a guide for students doing experiments in the physiology lab.
- Some apostles of physiology : being an account of their lives and labours, labours that have contributed to the advancement of the healing art as well as to the prevention of disease. This book, written with Frederick Grant Banting, talked about the lives and work of other important scientists in physiology.
