Sir Andrew Halliday

Sir Andrew Halliday, (also spelled Hallidy; March 17, 1782 at Copewood, Parish of Dryfesdale, Dumfries - September 7, 1839 at Dumfries) was a Scottish physician, reformer and writer. He was born in Copeland, Dryfsdale, Dumfriesshire. When he was nine years old, Halliday had to earn a living by caring for livestock because of his father's financial problems. He later advanced with the qualifications of a school teacher. Subsequently, Halliday entered the University of Edinburgh and began preparations for the Presbyterian ministry, but switched to medicine. On June 24, 1806, he received his doctorate in medicine from the University of Edinburgh and defended a thesis called De pneumatosi, which he later published as a book. After traveling around Russia, he began practicing in Halesen, Shropshire. In 1807, he became a surgeon in the 13th light dragoon. While in the British army, Halliday served in the Napoleonic Wars in Portugal, Spain and the West Indies, in the siege of Bergen op Zuma (1814) and the Battle of Waterloo.