Born on February 20th, 1861, the son of William Paterson, of Ridge Stockland, Devonshire, a dentist who practised in Fleet Street, London. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School from Apri1, 1875, to 1877, and then at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the Royal Dental Hospital. He was elected Dental Surgeon to St Bartholomew's Hospital on December 11th, 1884. Such was his ability and attention to the study of surgery that he qualified in general surgery by taking the FRCS examination, which early marked him as a leader of the dental profession during a special period of its development. Hence he represented the profession on many committees, meetings of societies, and congresses. He was Surgeon and Lecturer on Dental Surgery and Pathology at the Royal Dental Hospital; Examiner in Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons; Dental Adviser and Examiner to the RAMC. He was President of the British Dental Association, 1911-1912; Hon President of the International Dental Association; President of the Odontological Section of the Royal Society of Medicine; an honorary member of the École Dentaire de Paris, of the Société d'Odontologie de Paris, and of the Association Général des Dentistes de France; President of the Organization and Vice-President of the International Dental Congress, 1914. Paterson filled admirably the position as representative of the profession; much travelled, a humorous personality, fond of anecdote, an ardent fisherman, he had reached the age for retiring from his practice at 7a Manchester Square, when he died suddenly on a holiday at Buncrana, Co Donegal, on September 2nd, 1924. He was survived by his wife and only child, a son, then in India.