Person

Anderson, William (1750 - 1778)

Born
28 December 1750
North Berwick, Scotland
Died
3 August 1778
at sea
Occupation
Naturalist and Surgeon

Summary

William Anderson was educated in medicine at Edinburgh University in Scotland (1762 - 1768) and in surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in England (1768 - 1770). He played a significant role in James Cook's second (1772 - 1775) and third (1776 - 1778) voyages on H.M.S. Resoultion as surgeon, naturalist and interpreter. His contributions included illustrative vocabularies of a number of languages from the Pacific Ocean region (primarily Polynesian). He died at sea in 1778 of tuberculosis. The plant genus Andersonia (Ericaceae) was named in his honour.

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Details

Chronology

1762 - 1769
Education - Anatomy, Edinburgh University, Scotland
1768
Life event - Passed British Navy exam to qualify as Surgeon's First Mate
1768 - 1770
Education - Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons, England
1772 - 1775
Career position - Surgeon's First Mate, H.M.S. Resolution under the command of James Cook
1776 - 1778
Career position - Surgeon and naturalist, H.M.S. Resolution under the command of James Cook

Related People

  • Cook, James (1728 - 1779)

    Surgeon and naturalist in Resolution on Cook's second (1772 - 1775) and third (1776 - 1778) voyages

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Australian Botanists - Biographies, MS 064; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

The National Archives, UK

  • Captains' logs, including: EXPLORATIONS: RESOLUTION (2) W. Anderson (1776 June 7-1777 Sept 2). EXPLORATIONS: RESOLUTION (1) W. Paul (1776 July 13-1778 Aug 8), 1776 - 1778, ADM 51/4560; The National Archives, UK. Details
  • Will of William Anderson, Surgeon of His Majesty's Sloop Resolution, 14 November 1780, PROB 11/1070/312; The National Archives, UK. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

  • James Cook - Records, 1768 - 1779, 910.4 COO; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • Beasley, A. W., 'Promise Cut Short: the Career of William Anderson', Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, 42 (2012), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.4997/JRCPE.2012.118. Details
  • Iredale, T., 'William Anderson, Ornithologist.', Emu, 38 (1938), 60-62. Details
  • Keevil, J. J., 'William Anderson, 1748 - 1778, master surgeon, Royal Navy', Annals of medical history, ns, 5 (6) (1933), 511 - 524. Details
  • Snell, W. E., 'Captain Cook's surgeons', Medical History, 7 (1963), 43 - 55. Details

Resource Sections

See also

  • Bailey, F. M., 'A Concise History of Australian Botany', Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, 8 (1891), xvii-xli. Details
  • Maiden, J. H., 'Records of Australian botanists:- (a) general; (b) New South Wales', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, 42 (1908), 60-132. Details
  • Maiden, J. H., 'Records of Tasmanian Botanists', Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1909 (1909), 9-29. Details
  • Pybus, Cassandra, A very secret trade: the dark story of gentlemen collectors in Tasmania (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2024), 318 pp. https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Cassandra-Pybus-Very-Secret-Trade-9781761066344. Pages 79, 80. Details

Elizabeth Daniels

Created: 12 March 2019, Last modified: 5 July 2022

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