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William Cullen
Fellow
Date of Fellowship admission: 5 March 1756
William Cullen was born near Glasgow on 15 April 1710, the son of an attorney for the Duke of Hamilton. Apprenticed to the surgeon-apothecary John Paisley, Cullen later served as a ship's surgeon in the West Indies before returning to Scotland to practise medicine. At the University of Glasgow he lectured on the theory and practice of physic, later expanding his teaching to include materia medica, botany, and chemistry. In 1755 he moved to Edinburgh, succeeding Andrew Plummer as Professor of Chemistry. Cullen served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1773. He continued teaching and practising until 1789, retiring due to ill health. He died in Edinburgh on 5 February 1790.
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Year of medical qualification
14 September 1740
Date of Licence
3 February 1756
Fellowship
The main qualification issued by the College, awarded regularly since the College’s foundation. This qualification was granted based on demonstrated breadth of experience and did not require an individual to pass a certain examination.
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