Andrew Fernando Holmes | |
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| Born | March 17, 1797 Cadiz, Spain |
| Died | October 9, 1860 (aged 63) Montreal, Canada East |
| Occupation(s) | physician, professor, college administrator, author, and scientist |
| Known for | one of founders of the Montreal Medical Institution |
Andrew Fernando Holmes (March 17, 1797 – October 9, 1860) was a Canadian physician, academic, and one of the founders of the Montreal Medical Institution, the first medical school in Canada.
In 1797, Holmes' parents, Thomas Holmes and Susanna Scott, and his older brother, Benjamin were emigrating to North America when they were captured by a French frigate. They were taken to Cádiz, Spain, where Holmes was born. The family eventually reached British North America in 1801, settling in Montreal.
Holmes apprenticed to Daniel Arnoldi, a leading Montreal physician, and was qualified to practise medicine. He then went to Scotland, where he received a diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1818 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Edinburgh in 1819. Returning to Canada, he practised medicine joining the staff of the Montreal General Hospital in 1822. He founded the Montreal Medical Institution, the first medical school in Canada, in 1823 with John Stephenson. After failing to receive a royal charter, the Montreal Medical Institution joined McGill College to become the McGill College Medical Faculty. Holmes became a founding member of the faculty. In 1843, he was appointed professor of the principles and practice of medicine and became head of the faculty. In 1854, his title was changed to dean.
Holmes died unexpectedly in 1860. In 2020 Richard W Vaudry wrote an extensive biography of Holmes, linking him closely with the world of English-speaking Protestants in Montreal and Quebec.[1]
- ^ Vaudry, Richard. 2020. Andrew Fernando Holmes. Protestantism, medicine, and science in nineteenth-century Montreal. North York: University of Toronto Press.