Walter Mercer

Sir Walter Mercer KBE FRSE FRCP LLD (1890–1971) was a British orthopaedic surgeon. He was President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1951 to 1956. He was affectionately known as Wattie. His collection of anatomical specimens was donated to Surgeon's Hall in Edinburgh and is now known as the Walter Mercer Collection.

Life

Walter Mercer's name carved on the preserved doctors table at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Memorial plaque to Sir Walter Mercer, Warriston Crematorium
The grave of Sir Walter Mercer, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

He was born on 19 March 1890 the son of E. B. Mercer a tweed mill owner in Stow, Scotland. Walter was educated at George Watson's College. He studied Medicine at Edinburgh University from 1907 to 1912 graduating MB ChB. He then received a house post in Carlisle Infirmary.[1]

In the First World War he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps attached to the Kings Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He served in France, Italy and the Mediterranean. He was invalided back to Britain and then served in the Bangour Military Hospital where he began to take an interest in orthopaedics.[1]

When he was demobilised in 1920 he went to work at Tynecastle Orthopaedic Clinic in Edinburgh. In 1925 he joined the staff of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He concurrently took on the role of thoracic surgeon at the South Eastern Counties of Scotland Sanatorium at East Fortune.[2]

In 1929 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir John Fraser, John Brown Clark, Arthur Logan Turner and George Fowlie Merson.[3]

In the Second World War he was consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the Department of Health.[4]

He became the first Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Edinburgh University in 1948 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. He retired in 1958.

He died on 23 February 1971. He was cremated at Warriston Crematorium. His ashes are buried in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. The grave lies in the centre of the 20th century extension on Queensferry Road and lies at the west end of one of the central east-west rows.

Memorials

Mercer's name is one of the many carved names taken from the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Lauriston Place and now displayed at the new facility at Little France.

Family

In 1928 he married Helen May Margaret ("Maisie") Lunan (1899–1987). She was known as Lady Mercer following Walter's knighthood.

They had one son, Harold Walter David Mercer (1928–2005).

Publications

  • Orthopaedic Surgery (1932 reprinted 1964)

Artistic Recognition

His portrait by Sir William Oliphant Hutchison is held by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Mercer, Sir Walter - Biographical entry - Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online". livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  2. ↑ rcsed-user (31 March 2009). "Mercer, Walter FRCSEd (1891-1971)" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  3. ↑ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
  4. ↑ Who's Who in Orthopedic Surgery
  5. ↑ "Sir Walter Mercer, 1890 - 1971. Surgeon | National Galleries of Scotland". nationalgalleries.org. Retrieved 2018-02-11.


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