Allan Burns

Background

He was the son of Revd Doctor John Burns, a minister of the Barony Church, and Elizabeth Stevenson.

Education

A lecturer on surgery and anatomy at Glasgow, he studied medicine in Glasgow.

Career

He visited Russia in 1804 and he published anatomical treatises. In 1804 he went to London to seek medical service in the army, and was induced to go to Saint St. Petersburg to take charge of a hospital about to be established by the Empress Catherine on the English plan. But finding the position uncongenial, he returned to Scotland in a few months.

He had taken the position for a three-month trial, and very early he "got into a scrape" for dissecting a Russian, whom he decaptiated, and a German.

The removal of any body parts was then prohibited, unless they were Tartars or Jews. He had failed to make arangments for a salary, and on discovering that government surgeons were paid £90, he returned to Scotland, where he became a highly popular lecturer on anatomy - wearing the diamond and topaz ring given to him by the Empress Catherine when he left Russian.

Allan authored a number of publications which were quickly translated into German and were published concurrently in the United States. He also published papers in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal.

His work on vascular pressure systems and on heart disease were seen as pioneering and were long in print.

In 1809 he published Observations on Diseases of the Heart, and in 1812 Observations on the Surgical Anatomy of the Head and Neck. From 1810 his health began to fail, and his promising career was cut short by his death on 22 June 1813. His favourite pupil, Granville Sharp Pattison, has a short memoir of him, prefixed to an addition of some of his writings, which were translated for text-books on the Continent.

He was himself a favourite pupil of Sir Astley Cooper"son

The museum was eventually bought by Granville Sharp Pattison and some of the exhibits found their way to Philadelphia.

Achievements

• He attained very considerable success, being both vivid in illustration and accurate in knowledge.