James Anderson (botanist)

James Anderson (17 January 1738–6 August 1809[1]) was an 18th-century Scottish physician and botanist. In 1783 he was a joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He spent his later life in India.

Not to be confused with James Anderson of Hermiston or James Anderson (botanical collector).

Dr James Anderson by James Tassie
James Anderson

Life

He was born on 17 January 1738 in Long Hermiston, west of Edinburgh. the son of Dr Andrew Anderson, the local physician.[2] He was educated locally at Ratho school then studied Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.[2][3]

Anderson became an East India Company naval surgeon in 1759, and moved to the Madras Presidency in 1765. He was made surgeon-general of Madras in 1781, and ultimately physician-general.[3] He died at Madras and a monument to him by Chantrey is installed at St George's Cathedral in Madras.[4]

Interested in medicinal plants and horticulture, he set up a botanical garden in Madras where Anderson introduced mulberry trees, and experimented with making silk. After his death, the garden was maintained by his son-in-law Dr. Andrew Berry. He introduced apple trees also, and sought to produce local cochineal. He wrote on the cultivation of sugarcane, coffee and cotton.[3]

Botanical reference

William Roxburgh (1751–1815) named the genus Andersonia after him.

References
  1. Crawford, D.G. (1914). A history of the Indian Medical Service, 1600-1913. Volume 2. London: W. Thacker and Co. p. 22. Note:Gives date of death as 5 August 1809.
  2. "Memoirs of Dr James Anderson physician at Madras", in The Bee, or Literary weekly intelligencer, Edinburgh, May 9, 1792, p. 16
  3. Desmond, Ray. "Anderson, James (1738–1809)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/476. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. Cotton, Julian James https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32088/page/n90 (1905). Inscription on tombs or monuments in Madras. p. 70.
  5. IPNI.  Anderson.
  • Ray Desmond (1994). Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists including Plant Collectors, Flower Painters and Garden Designers. Taylor & Francis and The Natural History Museum (London). ISBN 0-85066-843-3


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