Joseph Ryland Whitaker

Joseph Ryland Whitaker was born near Wigan in 1846. He studied at the University of London, graduating BA and MB in 1893, and also attended the University of Louvain. He devoted his career to the teaching of anatomy, beginning with a lectureship at Surgeons' Hall in 1894 and later lecturing at the School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges. He became known for mnemonic-based teaching methods and delivered widely attended summer courses. His book 'Anatomy of the Brain and Spinal Cord', first published in 1887, remained in print through five editions until 1921. He was admitted as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1894 and elected a Fellow in the same year. He continued to work as an Examiner until illness led to his death in 1931.