Whatever happened to Anderson Island?

Ship’s surgeon William Anderson died in 1778 and was buried at sea. Captain James Cook decided to name the island near the burial after Anderson. Cook, however, had made an uncharacteristic error. He failed to realise that the island had already been discovered by the explorer Bering in 1728. St. Lawrence Island, as it was […]

More than a ship’s surgeon: William Anderson

William Anderson was born 28th December 1750. Although he attended Edinburgh University, he qualified at Surgeon’s Hall in London in 1770. In 1772 he joined Captain James Cook on his second voyage as surgeon’s mate on HMS Resolution. Learning objectives 1. Find out more about William Anderson 2. Explore the transferrable skills of clinicians 3. […]