Monro, Alexander (Secundus)

MONRO, ALEXANDER (SECUNDUS)

(b. Edinburgh, Scotland, 10 March 1733; d. Edinburgh, 2 October 1817).

anatomy.

The third and youngest son of Alexander Monro (Primus), Monro was educated first at James, Mundell’s private school, Edinburgh, and then, at the University of Edinburgh. His name appears, in his father’s account book for his anatomy class in 1744, when he was only eleven years of age. In the, following year he matriculated in the Faculty of Arts, and studied Latin, Greek, philosophy, mathematics, physics, and history. Like the majority of arts students, in the university at that time, he did not graduate, individual professors’ certificates being then more, highly valued than the official diploma. In 1750 he, began the serious study of medicine under Andrew, Plummer (chemistry), Charles Alston (botany), John, Rutherford (practice of physic), Robert Whytt (institutes of medicine), and Robert Smith (mid-wifery).

His father encouraged his natural bent for medicine, making for him in 1750 a manuscript commentary, on his Anatomy of the Human Bones, and entrusting, him in 1753 with the teaching of the evening anatomy, class necessitated by the growing numbers of students. After only one session of this arrangement Monro, Primus petitioned the town council, the patrons of, the university, to appoint his son joint professor of, anatotm, and his request was backed by a certificate, from the students of his son’s evening class (they, included Joseph Black) testifying to their satisfaction, with his teaching. On 10 June 1754 the desired, appointment was ratified, although Monro was still, only twenty-one years of age. On 25 October 1755 he, graduated M.D. with the thesis De testibus et semine, in variis animalibus. Edinburgh M.D. theses were, printed at this period, but most were essays based on, secondary sources. Monro’s thesis extended the, knowledge of the seminiferous tubules by some, original research. He injected the tubules with mercury, and showed their connection with the epididymis, observing that semen has a close relationship with, blood and lymph, although his later lectures show that, his notions about the real nature of the substance, were quite fanciful. Whereas his father considered, that the spermatozoa alone formed the embryo, Monro Secundus taught that “these animalculae are, no more essential to generation than the animals, found in vinegar are to its acidity.”

Soon after graduating he went to London, where, he attended the lectures of William Hunter, an old, student of Monro Primus. He then went on to Paris, but had to return hastily to Edinburgh in 1757 to, deputize for his father during an illness. He returned, to the Continent later in the same year, spending, several months in the home of the famous Berlin, anatomist Meckel, with whom he performed the, operation of paracentesis of the thorax. While there, he puhlished his treatise De venis lymphaticis valvulosis (Berlin, 1757), in which he showed that the lymphatics, were absorbents and distinct from the circulatory, system. There was a counterclaim for priority in this, discovery from William Hunter, which sparked off, an acrimonious exchange of pamphlets. Monro, Secundus replied to Hunter’s claim in his Observations, Anatomical and Physiological, Wherein Dr. Hunter’s, Claim to Some Discoveries Is Examined (1758). Hunter retorted in Medical Commentaries, Part I: Containing a Plain and Direct Answer to Professor Monro, Jun., Interspersed with Remarks on the, Structure, Functions and Diseases of Several Parts of, the Human Body (London, 1762–1764). Monro seems, to have been ahead of Hunter in the matter of the, lymphatics, but their mutual jealousy blinded them, to the earlier discoveries of Friedrich Hoffman in this, field.

Monro extended his attacks to include Hewson, his own former pupil and a colleague of Hunter, who, in 1767 had recommended the operation of paracentesis of the thorax in traumatic pneumothorax and, at the same time had published his own discovery, of the existence of laeteals and lymphatics in non-mammalians. Monro asserted his own priority in, both fields in A State of Facts Concerning the First, Proposal of Performing the Paracentesis of the Thorax, and the Discovery of the Lymphatic Valvular Absorbent, System of Oviparous Animals. In Answer to Mr. Hewson (Edinburgh, 1770).There is no doubt that Monro had, preceded Hewson in performing the operation of, paracentesis of the thorax. Although he had earlier, shown injections of thlymphatics and described them, to his class, Hewson was the first to publish a full and, accurate account of them in nonmammalian animals.

From Berlin, Monro went on to Leiden, where he, met the anatomist B. S. Albinus, once a fellow, student of Monro Primus and Peter Camper, professor, of anatomy at Amsterdam, In January 1758, his, father being again taken ill, Monro, now in his, twenty-fifth year, had to cut short his European tour, in order to conduct the anatomy class at Edinburgh.

His father recovered and delivered the opening lecture, of the session (1758–1759), but thereafter Monro, Secundus undertook the main work of the chair and, continued to do so for the next fifty years. On 1 May 1759 he became a fellow of the Royal College of, Physicians of Edinburgh. His course started with a, detailed history of anatomy and proceeded to anatomy, itself, beginning with the bones; then came physiology, and finally the operations of surgery. His clear, informal style of lecturing was even more effective, than his father’s. The official records of the Faculty, of Medicine give him 228 students in 1808.

His earlier publications were largely polemical, and it was not until he had been teaching for twenty-five years that his three main contributions to medical, literature appeared:

His Observations on the Structure and Functions of, the Nervous System (Edinburgh, 1783; German ed., Leipzig, 1787) advanced the study of the subject, by making several original discoveries, the most, famous being of the foramen connecting the lateral, and third ventricles of the brain, thereafter known as, the “foramen of Monro.”

The Structure and Physiology of Fishes Explained, and Compared With Those of Man and Other Animals (Edinburgh, 1785) was the first important Edinburgh, textbook on comparative anatomy, a subject that had, been recently introduced to their London students, by the Hunters.

A Description of All the Bursae Mucosae of the, Human Body; Their Structure Explained and Compared, With That of the Capsular Ligaments of the Joints, and, of Those Sacs Which Line the Cavities of the Thorax, and Abdomen: With Remarks on the Accidents and, Diseases Which Affect Those Several Sacs, and on, the Operations Necessary for Their Cure (London, 1788), trans, into German by J. C. Rosenmüller (Leipzig, 1799), was a practical manual for direct, use in surgery. Although next to nothing was known, of germ life at that time, Monro’s acute observation, and independent empirical judgment led him to the, conclusion that the chief danger of infection in surgery, of the joints lay in exposure to the air.

Monro published three lesser but original works:

In Experiments on the Nervous System, With Opium, and Metalline Substances; Made Chiefly With the, View of Determining the Nature and Effects of Animal Electricity (Edinburgh, 1793), he showed that stimulation of a nerve by Galvani’s couple (tinfoil and, silver) produced muscle contraction, but he failed, to deduce the true nature of nervous energy, clinging, to the old theory of nervous fluid. Still he did at least, conclude that the nerves conducted “that matter by, which the muscle is influenced more readily than the, skin, flesh or blood vessels.”

In Observations on the Muscles and Particularly, on the Effects of Their Oblique Fibres: With an, Appendix, in Which the Pretension of Dr. Gilbert, Blane, That He First Demonstrated the Same Effect, to Be Produced by Oblique Muscles as by Straight, Ones. With a Less Proportional Decurtation of Fibres, is Proved to Be Quite Unfounded (Edinburgh, 1794), his old combative spirit is shown not to be quite, dead.

The third work was his Three Treatises on the Brain, the Eye and the Ear (Edinburgh, 1797).

Like his father, Monro Secundus was a sociable, man. He was a member of the Harveian Society of, Edinburgh, which cultivated conviviality as well, as oratory, in both of which fields Monro shone, brilliantly. He was joint secretary of the Philosophical, Society of Edinburgh along with David Hume (1760–1763) and sole secretary (1763–1783) when it, became the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was also, a district commissioner for cleansing, lighting, and, watching the streets, a manager of the Royal Infirmary, and a member of the committee of defense for Midlothian during the French invasion scare of 1794.

On 25 September 1762 Monro married Katherine, Inglis, daughter of David Inglis, treasurer of the, Bank of Scotland, and by her had three sons and two, daughters. He lived first in a flat in Carmichael’s, Land in the Lawnmarke,t Edinburgh. In 1766 he, moved to a house with a garden in Nicolson Street, near the university, where he stayed until 1801, when, he took up residence in the New Town, in St. Andrew, Square. In 1773 he bought a property of 271 acres, at Craiglockhart on the outskirts of the town, not, as a residence but purely to indulge his passion for, gardening.

In 1798 he persuaded the town council to appoint, his elder son, Alexander, thereafter known as Monro, Tertius, to be joint professor of anatomy with him. He himself continued to share the duties of the chair, until 1808, when he retired at age seventy-five. He, died of apoplexy on 2 October 1817, at age eighty-four. He had bequeathed his fine collection of anatomical, and pathological specimens for the use of his son, and his successors in the chair of anatomy.

Monro Secundus was a kindly man in family and, social life but perhaps overjealous of his professional, reputation. He used his powerful influence, for, instance, to prevent until almost the end of his teaching, career the establishment of a separate chair of surgery—a clear necessity as Monro, although officially, professor of anatomy and surgery, was not himself, a practicing surgeon, His medical ability had been, proved in the most testing of situations, having to, follow a great father and work with such colleagues, as William Culiem Joseph Black, Daniel Rutherford, James Gregory, and Andrew Duncan.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. Most are referred to in the text. Read also Essays and Heads of Lectures on Anatomy, Physiology, and Surgery. With a Memoir of His Life … by His Son (Edinburgh, 1840).

II. Secondary Literature. On Monro and his work, see A. Duncan, Senior, An Account of the Life, Writings, and Character of Alexander Monro, Secundus (Edinburgh, 1818). Other relevant works are in the bibliography under, Alexander Monro, Primus. See especially R. E. Wright-St. Clair, Doctors Monro: a Medical Saga (London, 1964).

C. P. Flnlayson