James Hamilton was a prominent Edinburgh physician associated with the Royal Infirmary, the Trades Maiden Hospital and George Heriot's Hospital. His work 'Observations on the Utility and Administration of Purgative Medicines' (1805) ran to multiple editions. He served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1792 to 1794. In later life he was nicknamed 'Cocky Hamilton' for his continued adherence to eighteenth-century dress, including a three-cornered hat.
