Physician. MD. University of Edinburgh, 1837. F.R.C.P. Edinburgh, 1841. Physician to Royal Infirmary and to Fever Hospital, Edinburgh, to 1845. Practised in London, 1847-1866. Removed to France. M.D. University of France, 1870. During siege of Paris rendered conspicuous service to British residents and to the wounded of both sides. Made Chevalier of Legion of Honour, 1871; knighted 1872. Established Edinburgh Monthly Journal of Medical Science, 1841; editor to 1846. Established London Journal of Medicine, 1849; editor to 1852. Editor of Association Medical Journal, 1853-1855. Contributed occasionally to non-professional periodicals, e.g., Athenaeum. Published Clinical Studies, 1876, a collection of his principal writings.  

Cormack's reference to himself in the second item listed below establishes him as the H.W. contributor. The article states that the fire-altar theory of vitrified forts "was advocated by Doctor Cormack, in a paper read before the Scottish Society of Antiquaries on the second of May, eighteen hundred and forty-two". Archaeologica Scotica, Vol. IV, Appendix, p. 32, records that on May 2 1841 [sic], John R. Cormack, M.D., read before the Society his "Essay on Vitrified Forts: Fire altars of Baal or Belus, in which it was contended that these remains ... were Altars of the God of Fire" (information from Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh). A footnote to the article "Beltane" refers the reader to "British Fire-Worship"; the text of "Beltane" mentions "the vitrified remains" of fire-altars "of which an account was given in Household Words for April sixteenth" (incorrect reference to "Fossil Geography", April 16, instead of to "British Fire-Worship", April 30).

"Christmas in the Frozen Regions" assigned in the Office Book to "Dr. Cormack & CD" is by Robert McCormick.

Author: Anne Lohrli; © University of Toronto Press, 1971.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography