John Gillies (c. 1792–1834) was a Scottish
naval surgeon who later became an
explorer and
botanist, travelling extensively in
South America. Educated at the
University of Edinburgh, he served in the
Royal Navy during the
Napoleonic Wars. Afflicted by
tuberculosis, Gillies left the UK aged 28 for South America in the hope that the climate would improve his fragile health. He spent eight years there, mostly in
Argentina, surviving wars, civil unrest, and chronic ill health, sending numerous plants to
Hooker at the
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew before returning in 1828. He died aged 42 at Edinburgh on 24 November 1834, his remains interred at
Calton.[1]
^Gibbs, F. W. (1951). John Gillies, M.D., Traveller and Botanist, 1792–1834. Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London 1951. The Royal Society, London