William Webster Fisher

Who was William Webster Fisher?

William Webster Fisher, M.D, was Downing Professor of Medicine at Cambridge University.

Fisher, a native of Westmoreland, was born in or about 1798. He studied in the first instance at the University of Montpellier, where he befriended Auguste Comte and took the degree of M.D. in 1825. Two years later he was entered at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his brother, the Rev. John Hutton Fisher, was a fellow and assistant-tutor. He later migrated to Downing College, where he graduated M.B. in 1834. Shortly afterwards he succeeded to a fellowship. Elected to the Downing Professorship of Medicine in 1841, Fisher resigned his fellowship in 1844. He, however, continued to hold some college offices.

In 1841 he proceeded M.D. His lectures were well attended. He acted for many years as one of the university examiners of students in medicine, and was an ex officio member of the university board of medical studies. In addition to fulfilling the duties of his professorship, Fisher had a large practice as a physician at Cambridge. He was formerly one of the physicians to Addenbrooke's Hospital, and on his resignation was appointed consulting physician there.