James Cossar Ewart, 1851 - 1933

Abstract

James Gossar Ewart, the younger son of John Ewart, of Penicuik, Midlothian, was born in November, 1851. He passed his boyhood at his native place and received his early education there. At the age of 19 he matriculated in the University of Edinburgh as a medical student, and graduated as Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery in 1874. He was then appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy under Turner, but shortly afterwards he migrated to London, becoming Curator of the Zoological Museum at University College. In order to learn his work the more thoroughly he visited various continental museums and worked for a time at Strassburg in 1876. In London he occupied himself by making preparations for the Museum at the College, showing a great proficiency, and in addition he assisted Lankester, who held the Professorship of Zoology in organizing and conducting the practical classes which were then instituted. He also began to do original research, his earlier papers being upon the structure of different parts of the eye, upon the anatomy of the lamprey (in which he investigated the vascular peribranchial spaces, the valves of the umbilical arteries and certain of the sexual organs) and upon the placentation and fecundity of the Shanghai River deer. Other work which he did in London was upon certain bacterial organisms and he was awarded a gold medal for a thesis, on Bacillus anthracis, presented for the degree of M.D. at Edinburgh.