John Alexander Scott was born in Birkenkead, Cheshire, in 1866. He was a son of David Scott, a draper, and Eliza Bayne. According to the 1871 census the family was at 47 Church Street, Birkenhead.

 

He received his early education at the Fraserburgh Academy in Aberdeen. According to the 1881 census, at that time he was living at the church manse with his uncle. He then went to the Edinburgh University where he obtained his qualifications (M.D.Ch.M) in 1889.

 

According to the 1891 census he was at 114 Dyer Street, Cirencester, living with the family of Dr William R. Bassham. He was listed as being Dr Bassham's assistant. A write-up about him in Melbourne's newspaper called Table Talk stated that Dr Scott accepted the position of house surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, in the ophthalmic ward. His next appointment was as surgeon on board a ship which carried passengers between Liverpool and New York.

 

Dr Scott arrived in Australia in February 1893 aboard the Loch Katrine. After spending a year working with different medical men, in 1894 he acquired a private practice from Dr Henry Wheeler.

 

In 1894 he was appointed as surgeon in the outpatient department of the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital.  According to Templeton, he was appointed on the recommendation of Dr A.F. Seelenmeyer and Dr Henry Wheeler, both of whom considered him to be a consistent homœopathic prescriber. In 1901 he was appointed honorary assistant surgeon and ophthalmic surgeon to the inpatient department of the hospital, where he worked until 1916.  It was Dr Scott's prescription of homœopathic medicine which led to his resignation from the British Medical Association in 1917.

 

From 1897 to 1898 his address in the post office directory was a pharmacy at 319 Burwood Road Hawthorn (now number 453) which had been a chemist shop owned by Martin & Pleasance. (That address is now part of Swinburne University.)

 

On 30 March 1898 he married Alice Bruce Flett, who was a daughter of Dr William Simpson Flett. Dr Scott and Dr Simpson were near neighbours, both living in Auburn Road, Hawthorn.

Dr Scott died in June, 1960 at the age of 93. He was buried at Box Hill Cemetery.

 

©  Barbara Armstrong

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