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 CRAIK :

His death occurred on February 10, 1888, after an illness of nineteen hours from hemorrhage, the result of gastric ulcer. He left five children, three daughters and two sons; one son, Bur- dette P., followed his father's profession. D. W. Med. Reg. State of N. York, Albany, 1888.

Craik, James (1730-1S14).

This physician-general of the United States Army was born at his father's country seat, Arbigland, near Dumfries, Scotland, and studied medicine at Edin- burgh, emigrating to the North American colonies, and practising medicine first in the West Indies and later in Virginia, where he formed a connection with the young planter and surveyor, George Washington, and established a friend- ship disturbed only by the death of Washington. He was appointed surgeon of the Virginia Provincial Regiment in 1754, of which Washington held the command, and was present at the battle of Great Meadows and also at Mononga- hela, where he dressed the wounds of the ill-fated Braddock and many others. At the close of the Braddock campaign and upon the formation of the Virginia Provincial Army Craik continued in the service as the chief medical officer, and remained in the service until the disbandment of the forces at Fort Pitt, 1758. During the time that he practised medicine in Charles County, Maryland, Washington and he continued their intimacy and made famous exploring trips into the west which were note- worthy even in those adventurous days. An active patriot in early Revolution- ary times, he became assistant medical director of the hospitals in the Middle Department at the solicitation and special nomination of Washington, and organized the medical department of the forces of Count Rochambeau, becom- ing the junior of the four chief army hospital physicians and surgeons, tak- ing the seniorship, second in rank to the director general. This position he held until mustered out at the end of

6 CRAIK

the war in 1783, after personally partici- pating in many of its most important events, including the capitulation at Yorktown. Through his agency the Conway Cabal against Gen Washington was exposed.

Shortly after being mustered out at the close of the Revolutionary War, he took up his home at Alexandria in order to be near his friend's Mount Vernon home, until 1798, when war with France seemed inevitable and Washington was again summoned to lead the army. But he made the appointment of Craik as the head of the medical department one of the conditions of his own acceptance of the command, and the latter was duly commissioned physician-general, retain- ing the office until the army was dis- banded in 1800. Some months before the official severing of his relations with the military establishment, however, he had returned to his Virginian home where he was soon called upon to attend his old friend in that illness which, on December 14, 1799, deprived the country of its most illustrious citizen. Craik sur- vived him fifteen years, a time passed partly in active practice and at the last in retirement. L. S. P.

Irvings' Life of Washington. Thacher, American Medical Biography. Toner, Medical Men of the Revolution. Pilcher, Journal of the Association of Military Sur- geons of the United States, vol. xiv. 1904 — portrait — and the Surgeon-generals of the United States Army, Carlisle, Pa., 1905 — portrait.

Craik, Robert (1829-1907).

Robert Craik was dean of the medical faculty of McGill University from 1889 to 1901 and directed its affairs during that important period. He was professor of clinical surgery from 1860 to 1S67; professor of chemistry from 1867 to 1879; professor of hygiene from 1SS9 till 1902, holding the minor positions of demonstrator of anatomy in 1S56; curator of the museum in 1859; and regis- trar in 1869. He entered the Montreal General Hospital in 1854 as house sur- geon, and after six years' service was ap-