He was the fourth son of Professor James Gregory, and having been brought up among the traditions of medicine, he turned to the study of it instinctively, though the necessity laid upon him was by no means the same as that which had made his forefathers physicians in spite of themselves. He had not gone far in his medical course when he decided to be a chemist rather than a doctor. The magic of Professor Hope’s experiments made at least one convert and as he sat in the class-room observing the strange effects of chemicals, he made up his mind that if it were possible he would some day take the teacher’s place. With rude implements he would spend hours at home repeating the processes which he had watched in the class, his mind all alive to the interest of his subject, and his poor body much neglected. These happy hours in his laboratory were dearly paid for by the delicacy, which began to show itself about this time. The noxious fumes of the chemicals acted as a slow poison, and from this stage of his life he had to struggle with ill health, all his occupations being interrupted at times by unconquerable pain. He graduated M.D. in 1828, and then went abroad to study chemistry in the famous schools of the continent. At Giessen, the most important of these, he had the good fortune to attract the attention of the great teacher, whose work had made the university famous, and from this time forward, Liebig was the friend and correspondent of William Gregory. During the years when Gregory was completing his studies abroad, and teaching successively in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin, King’s College, Aberdeen, was going through considerable difficulties in connection with the post of mediciner. In the days of John Gregory’s tenure of that office, he had as we already know, made efforts to improve the medical curriculum there, but without success. A step in advance was made in 1801, when it was determined that a candidate for the degree of M.D. must ‘oblidge himself that he is not, nor will be concerned in the sale of quack medicines of any description!’ and a further step was taken in 1817 by the authorities insisting on a satisfactory account of the ‘classical, literary and scientifical education of the candidate.’ Between 1824 and 1826, an attempt was made by the Chancellor and Senatus to insist that the mediciner should teach medicine, but Dr Bannerman, who then held that office, would only consent to consider the matter for a year, and after that time he let it rest. In 1836, he was advised that if he would neither teach nor appoint a substitute, a lecturer would be chosen, and paid out of his salary. This threat, however, was never carried out, and he died in 1838, and it was to this post of mediciner, made vacant by his death, that William Gregory was appointed on February 19th, 1839.