John Rogerson

John Rogerson was born near Lochmaben on 22 October 1741 to Samuel Rogerson and Janet Johnston. He obtained his MD from the University of Edinburgh in 1765. He then moved to St. Petersburg, where he was appointed court physician in 1769. In 1776, he was elected to the Imperial Academy of Sciences and became physician to the Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, eventually becoming an advisor and diplomat at the Russian court. That year, he was elected to the Royal Society in London for his development of links between Russia and Britain. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1782 and was awarded the Freedom of the City in Dumfries in 1786. At the age of 78, he returned to Scotland for good, and died 21 December 1823 in Dumcrieff.