and before his death was very considerable. His opinion was highly valued for his accuracy and prompt decision. In the forenoon of 23 April 1879, while seeing patients in his consulting room, he died suddenly of heart disease affecting the aortic valves. He had suffered from the ailment for nine years, but had resolutely declined the advice of medical friends to retire from practice. He was buried in Norwood cemetery. Murchison married in July 1859 Clara Elizabeth, third daughter of Robert Bickersteth, surgeon, of Liverpool, and had nine children; his wife, two sons and four daughters survived him. To his memory was founded a Murchison scholarship in medicine, to be awarded in alternate years in London by the Royal College of Physicians, and in Edinburgh by the university. A marble portrait bust was also placed in St. Thomas's Hospital. The great characteristic of his literary work was its solidity and accuracy of detail. He had the genius of thoroughness, and at the same time a happy fluency which enabled him to complete large masses of work with rapidity and precision. His own views were very positive, and he was a keen controversialist on some important questions, especially the relation of bacteria to disease. The side which he warmly defended has not been the winning side, and his views are fundamentally opposed to those now accepted; but the value of the materials which he contributed to the discussion is still great.
Murchison's most important contribution to medical science was 'A Treatise on the Continued Fevers of Great Britain,' London, 1862; 2nd ed. 1873; 3rd ed. (by Cayley), 1884. A German translation by W. Zuelzer appeared at Brunswick in 1867, 8vo, and a French translation of one part by Lutaud at Paris in 1878. This work became at once a standard authority. He treated the same subject in the 'Annual Reports of the London Fever Hospital,' 1861-9, and in medical journals. Another subject to which he gave special attention was that of diseases of the liver. After translating Frerichs's work on that subject for the New Sydenham Society in 1861, he published in 1868 'Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Liver, Jaundice, and Abdominal Dropsy,' London, 8vo, and in 1874 took as the subject of his Croonian lectures at the College of Physicians 'Functional Derangements of the Liver,' London, 1874, 8vo; republished with 'Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Liver,' 2nd ed. 1877; 3rd ed. (by Brunton) 1885. A French translation by Jules Cyr appeared at Paris in 1878. His regard for the memory of his friend, Dr. Hugh Falconer [q. v.], induced him to take great pains in bringing out the latter's 'Palæontological Memoirs' in 1868; geology was a favourite pursuit with Murchison.
Murchison took an active part in scientific societies, more especially the Pathological Society, of which he became a member in 1855; was secretary 1865-8; treasurer 1869-76, and president 1877-81. To the 'Transactions' of the society he contributed in all 143 papers and reports, some of them of considerable importance. He was also a member of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical, the Clinical, and the Epidemiological Societies, and contributed, though less frequently, to their transactions. Murchison also contributed to the 'Edinburgh Medical Journal,' the 'British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review,' Beale's 'Archives of Medicine,' 'St. Thomas's Hospital Reports,' the 'British Medical Journal,' and other medical papers. The total number of his published works, memoirs, lectures, &c., was, according to a list in his own handwriting, 311.
[Lancet, 3 May 1879; British Medical Journal, 26 April 1879; Med. Times and Gazette, 10 May 1879; personal knowledge and private information.]
MURCHISON, Sir RODERICK IMPEY (1792–1871), geologist, born on 19 Feb. 1792 at Tarradale in Eastern Ross, was the eldest son of Kenneth Murchison by his wife, the daughter of Roderick Mackenzie of Fairburn. The Murchisons were a highland sept, living near Kintail and Lochalsh, the members of which were active in the rebellion of 1715. Kenneth Murchison was educated for the medical profession, went out to India, and held a lucrative appointment at Lucknow. After an absence of seventeen years he returned to Scotland with his savings, purchased Tarradale, and married in 1791. But about four years afterwards his health began to fail; he left Tarradale for the south of England, where he died in 1796. His widow settled in Edinburgh with her two boys, and before long married Colonel Robert Macgregor Murray, an old friend of her late husband. In 1799 Roderick was placed at the grammar school, Durham, where he led in mischief more often than in his class. In 1805 he was removed to the military college, Great Marlow, where he kept up his Durham reputation, but was attentive to work distinctly professional. In 1807 he was gazetted ensign in the 36th regiment, but did not join till the following winter, though even then he was under sixteen. The regiment—a smart and distinguished one—was then quartered at Cork, but during the summer it was hurried off to
