James Rutherford Morison

Who was James Rutherford Morison?

James Rutherford Morison was a British surgeon.

In 1874, he graduated from the University of Edinburgh, and as a young man was an assistant and "surgical dresser" to Joseph Lister. Later, he became a surgeon at the Newcastle Royal Infirmary and a professor at the University of Durham. He was considered by his students to be an excellent teacher.

He is remembered for the eponymous "Morison's pouch", also known as the hepatorenal recess, being described as an anatomical space between the under surface of the liver and the right kidney. His name is also associated with a surgical incision for access to sigmoid colon and pelvis, particularly used if the midline is very scarred from previous surgery, and a medical instrument.

During World War I, he was stationed at the Northumberland War Hospital, where he introduced a paste for treatment of contaminated wounds. This substance was to become known as "BIPP", an acronym for bismuth iodoform parafin paste.