Born in Glasgow on 18 September 1873 he was educated at the University there. After qualification he became a ship's surgeon, and later, having obtained the DPH, entered the public health service in Manchester. He moved to Commercial Road, East London in 1900, but after obtaining his Fellowship he went to Hastings with consulting rooms in London and a surgical assistantship at the Evelina Hospital. He was a pupil at first of Sir Arthur Keith who mentioned him in his *Autobiography*. During the war of 1914-18 he served as acting assistant surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital where he continued till 1919, during which year he was a Hunterian Professor lecturing on the significance and surgical value of certain abdominal reflexes and describing Ligat's test in the diagnosis of appendicitis. During this period he also worked as consulting surgeon at St Leonard's and Hastings. In 1922 he was appointed consulting surgeon to the Buchanan Hospital, St Leonard's, and to Bexhill Hospital. When war again broke out in 1939 he took on active duties at the Royal East Sussex Hospital, Hastings at the age of 66. In 1944 he lost his right arm in an air raid, when returning from a case at midnight. He showed high courage and determination, and, being denied surgery, golf and the cello as a result of his injury, he took up bowls and typewriting. His characteristics were gaiety, enthusiasm and youthful zest. He was chairman of the Hastings branch of the BMA 1922-23 and president of the Sussex branch 1924-25. He died on 14 January 1954 aged 80 survived by his widow and daughter.