JOHN CHRISTIE McVAIL

    THE County Medical Officer for Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire was born at Kilmarnock, 22nd October, 1849, and received his professional education at Anderson's College and Glasgow University. He practised medicine in Kilmarnock from 1873 to 1891, and held the appointments of Infirmary Physician, Medical Officer of Health, and Crown Examiner in medico-legal cases for North Ayrshire. He received his present appointment in 1891. He has held the position of Examiner in Medical Jurisprudence and Public Health to the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

    Dr. McVail is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and has been President of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health and of the Sanitary Association of Scotland. He was lately a member of Council of the British Medical Association, and of the Epidemiological Society, London. He is author of "Vaccination Vindicated," and of numerous writings on public health subjects, especially on smallpox and vaccination, contributed to Stevenson & Murphy's Hygiene and the Transactions of the learned societies of which he is a member ; also of the "Ethics of Preventive Medicine," published in Public Health in 1901, as well as of numerous county health reports. He was Lane Lecturer to Cooper Medical College, San Francisco, in 1906, his subject being "The Prevention of Infectious Diseases," and the lectures have been published by MacMillan. And recently he was appointed by Government to investigate the Poor Law system of England, with reference to methods of medical relief. In April, 1008, Glasgow University conferred upon Dr. McVail the honorary degree of LL.D.

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