William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745-1800), Anatomist

Sitter in 1 portrait
Artist associated with 3 portraits
Edinburgh-born William Cruikshank studied divinity at Edinburgh University, but abandoned theology to pursue a medical career. He moved to London in 1771 and devoted himself to anatomy. Cruikshank is remembered as a successful teacher of anatomy although he also had a considerable practice as a surgeon. He attended Dr Johnson in his last illness. When Johnson died in 1784, Cruikshank supervised the taking of his death-mask, which sculptor James Hoskins transformed into a bust.