HUNTER, WILLIAM, was born in 1718 at Long Calderwood, near Glasgow. Ile was entered at the University of Glasgow in 1732, and remained there for five years studying for the church; but while hesitating whether he should pursue that profession he mot with Cullen, who was at that time practising as a surgeon and apothecary at Hamilton. An Intimate friendship was soon formed between them, the result of which was that Hunter determined to study medicine, and to practise in partnership with Cullen. Part of the agreement into which they mutually entered was, that each of them should alternately pan a winter at some large medical school, while the other remaiued in charge of the business in the country. The success of Cullen, and his exaltation to the highest celebrity iu Scotland, has been already mentioned [CuLLErs, WILLIAM, and Hunter was destined to attain a reputation scarcely inferior in England. In 1741 he visited London, where be resided with Smellie, the celebrated aocoucheur, and studied anatomy under Dr. Nicholls, and surgery at St. George's Hospital. Dr. Douglas, to whom he brought a letter of introduction, engaged him soon after his arrival to assist him in completing an anatomical work which he was publishing, and to educate his son. He resided in the family till 1744, when Mr. Sharpe having resigned a lectureship on surgery to a Society of Naval Surgeons, Hunter was elected to fill his place, and at once met with the most marked success. In 1746 he commenced lecturing ou anatomy, and in 1747 became a member of the Corporation of Surgeons. But he had always preferred the practice of midwifery to that of surgery ; and several circumstances coinciding to give a favourable prospect of success, he determined in 1749 to confine himself exclusively to the former subject. In 1750 he took a Doctor's degree at Glasgow ; in 1764 was appointed physician extraordinary to the queen; in 1767 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. His time was now so completely occupied in the practice of his profession, that he was obliged to give up a part of his lectures, and his brother John, Hewaon, and Cruickshank, were successively his partners. He amassed a large fortune, and died in 1783, with a reputation iuferior only to that of his brother, of whom it was not his least honour that he had been the preceptor aud first patron. They had been unhappily estranged for many years before Dr. Hunter's death, in consequence of a dispute relative to their mutual claims to the discovery of the structure of the placenta : which was most in fault is still unknown ; but their hostility, which was at first very warm, did not cease till William was on his death-bed. Even
then the reconciliation was only partial, for he left nearly the whole of his large property to those who were distantly connected with him, although his brother was at the time in embarrassed circumstances.
William Hunter's principal work was the Anatomy of the Gravid Uterus,' on which be was engaged for nearly thirty years. It contains thirty-four folio plates, most accurately aud beautifully engraved from dissections by himself and his brother, illustrative of the most important subjects in obstetrics. A work descriptive of these plates, and containiog several other points of great interest collated from the original manuscript, was published after Dr. Hunter's death by his nephew Dr. Baillie. He was also the author of numerous essays in the 'Philosophical Transactions,' and the Medical Observations,' of which the most important are those relating to his discoveries of the varicose aneurism, of the origin and use of the lymphatics, the retroversion of the uterus, and the membrane deoidua reflexa. William Hunter had long wished to found an anatomical school in London, and in 1765 he offered to expend 7000/. on a building fit for that purpose, to endow a professorship, and to give his museum and library, if the government would grant him a piece of ground to build upon. This munificent offer was refused, and he therefore bought some ground in Windmill Street, where he built a private house, with a museum and dissecting-rooms adjacent to it. He at the same time added to his museum, which already contained a large number of very valuable anatomical and pathological preparations, a choice library of Greek and Latin works, a cabinet of the rarest ancient medals, which cost him 20,0001., and numerous objects of natural history. He bequeathed all these to Dr. Baillie, who was to hold them for thirty years, and then to transmit them to the University of Glasgow, to which he had also left 80601., for their maintenance and increase.
If William Hunter was inferior in intellect to his brother John, he was free from many of his faults; he was a good scholar, a clear and elegant writer, and an accomplished gentleman. He was the most scientific man that had ever practised as an accoucheur ; and mid wifery is as much indebted to him as surgery is to his brother. Each not only improved the practice of his profession, but conferred a far greater benefit by introducing the scientifio principles of physiology into what had, before their time, been little more than mechanical arts.