"James MacKenzie: Research in General Practice

  • David McLeod

Abstract


Born the son of a Highland farmer in 1853, near Scone in Perthshire, James MacKenzie was destined to become a leader among medical men. He utilised the opportunities of a general practitioner to study the early symptoms of disease and the bearing of the disease on the
patient’s future life.

In defining how this came about, three main factors seem to emerge as especially significant in his early years. As an apprentice to a Perth chemist, he found that his “ natural bent lay in a practical rather than an academic direction”. In his preclinical years at Edinburgh University,
he experienced some difficulty in passing examinations, for they were contrived for the purpose of testing memory rather than the power of
reasoning — MacKenzie had difficulty in remembering isolated facts, but if facts were “ related in some consecutive manner, they could not only be remembered, but their bearing on one-another fully appreciated” .

How to Cite
McLeod, D. (1). "James MacKenzie: Research in General Practice. Res Medica, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.2218/resmedica.v6i1.831