THE annual commemoration of one of Musselburgh’s most famous sons, the celebrated doctor David Macbeth Moir, took place recently.
Organised by the Old Musselburgh Club, a service was held at Musselburgh Congregational Church followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the statue of the physician on Mall Avenue.
This followed a low-key event in 2021 which saw David Stillie, former president of the Old Musselburgh Club, lay a wreath at the monument amidst Covid-19 restrictions.
Dr Moir, who was the town’s medical officer, helped the community during a cholera epidemic.
The church service was conducted by Edward Yeoman, a Church of Scotland reader and member of the Old Musselburgh Club.
Also in attendance was Ian Moir, a descendant of Dr Moir, and his wife Marion, who did not attend last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Ivor Highley, president of the Old Musselburgh Club, spoke about the life and work of Dr Moir and, after the wreath-laying ceremony, a bouquet of flowers was presented to Mrs Moir by Ann Wood, wife of honorary club treasurer Ian Wood.
Born in Musselburgh on January 5, 1798, Dr Moir worked as a doctor throughout his life and was the town’s medical officer in 1832 during the cholera epidemics which badly affected the local community.
Also a writer, he adopted the Greek letter Delta as his pen name.
Dr Moir was the second of four children and attended Musselburgh Grammar School for six years, learning Greek, Latin, French, geography and algebra.
At the age of 13, he was apprenticed to Dr Stewart in Musselburgh and showed an aptitude for the medical profession.
He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and gained a diploma in surgery in 1816. A year later, he became a partner in Dr Brown’s practice in Musselburgh.
His pamphlet, entitled Practical Observations on Malignant Cholera, sold out within two days.
Dr Moir’s writing career started in 1812, with two essays published locally, and from 1816 onwards he was a regular contributor to the Scots Magazine, the Edinburgh Magazine, Fraser’s Magazine and the Edinburgh Literary Gazette. He also contributed some 400 works to Blackwood’s Magazine.
Dr Moir married in 1829 and had 11 children, three of whom died in childhood. He was encouraged by his peers, including Wordsworth, Tennyson and Dickens, to publish his Domestic Verses, which are considered to be some of his best work.
A member of the Kirk Session at St Michael’s Church, he was also a councillor.
Dr Moir was injured as a result of a carriage accident, which left him lame, and a further injury in 1851 affected his general health, leading to his death in Dumfries later that year.
He was held in such high regard by the townspeople of Musselburgh, particularly for his work during the cholera epidemic, that his body was returned to the town and he was given a civic funeral.
A public subscription funded the statue at the end of the Rennie Bridge, which was sculpted by the famous local sculptor Alexander Handyside Ritchie.
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