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Angus Macdonald MD, (April 18, 1836 - February 10, 1886), was a Scottish physician and lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, and President of the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society from 1879-81. Although he died in the prime of his professional life at age 50, his contributions to the field of obstetrics are still recognized 125 years after his death.

Early Life and Schooling
Born in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, he was the son of James Macdonald of Lochmaddy, North Uist, a road contractor, and his wife Margaret Bremner of Newmill, Banffshire. His father died when Angus was 11, creating hardships for the widow and her five children. To assist his mother with the family finances, Angus went to work as a farm laborer in Grange, Banffshire and his formal education was limited to two years in the parish school as a result. Between the attentions of the local schoolmaster, Arthur Gerrard, and his mother, Margaret Bremner Macdonald, "a woman of character and of vigorous intellect", Angus received an informal education sufficient enough to win a highly competitive bursary scholarship in Latin to King's College Aberdeen at the age of 19.

He received his MA in 1859 and was awarded the Hutton Prize for general excellence indicating he was among the best of his class at King's College. He spent a year studying theology at the University of Edinburgh before switching to the study of medicine and qualified as MD in 1865. His thesis was entitled "Notes of three renal cases illustrative of vasomotor neuroses."

Medical Career
In addition to starting a private medical practice, he lectured frequently and served as the Physician to the Royal Infirmary and the Physician to the Royal Maternity Hospital. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1865 and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1869. He authored many articles in The Lancet on a wide range of medical topics. In 1878, he published “On The Bearings of Chronic Disease of the Heart Upon Pregnancy,Parturition, and Childbed,” a seminal textbook in obstetrics in use for over 50 years. In the same year, he became President of the Obstetrics Society of Edinburgh, which he held until 1881. A group of obstetricians in the UK named their society the Macdonald Club in his honor, and in 2008 the Royal Medical Society began publishing an Obstetrics Journal dedicated in his memory.

Death
During the last four years of his life, Dr Macdonald was plagued by a recurrent lung infection. Advised by his physicians to reduce his commitments, he spent a year in the Riviera trying to recoup his health to no avail. He died at 29 Charlotte Square on February 10, 1886.

Family Information
Angus Macdonald MD was married April 19, 1866 to Ann Finlayson (1839-1917), daughter of Thomas Finlayson, the long-time minister of Rose Street United Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh, and his wife Janet Chrystal Carrick. Angus and Ann became the parents of eight children: James Warburton Begbie Macdonald (1867-1869) who was named after one of Dr. Macdonald's professors but died at age 2 of meningitis, Thomas Finlayson Macdonald (1868-1896) who became a physician but died age 28 of pernicious anemia, Jessie Chrystal Macdonald (1870-1931) who married Robert Gordon the treasurer of Quaker Oats and emigrated to America, Angus Macdonald Jr (1872-1949) who became a physician in Edinburgh, Robert John Macdonald (1874-1937)who emigrated to America to work for Quaker Oats, Margaret Bremner Macdonald (1876-1956) who never married and remained in Edinburgh with her mother, George Andrew Macdonald (1878-1949) who emigrated to America to work for Quakers Oats and married his second cousin Margaret Stuart, Ranald Macdonald (1881-1919) who very little is known about.

Angus Macdonald MD owned a townhome at 29 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh where he raised his family and had his medical practice in the basement. It now houses the corporate offices of The National Trust for Scotland.

Angus Macdonald MD descends from the Macdonalds of Baleshare, a cadet family of the Macdonalds of Sleat. He was a first cousin to Charles Blair Macdonald, an American Stockbroker credited with introducing the game of golf to America. Through his mother Margaret Bremner, he was a first cousin of Robert Stuart, a founder and President of the Quaker Oats Company.

Angus Macdonald MD was the progenitor of an unbroken line of namesakes for five generations, all physicians. His grandson, Dr. Angus Macdonald (the Third) was killed in action during WWII in Tunisia while serving in the Royal Medical Corps. The current Dr. Angus Macdonald (the Fifth) is a general practitioner residing in Cornwall, UK. In his home, he displays a marble bust of his great great grandfather by the Scottish sculptor John Rhind (1828-92), which has been passed down through the generations.