Alexander Gerald McFarlane was a lecturer in anatomy at Edinburgh University Medical School. He was born on 14 October 1955 in London. He studied medicine at Westminster Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1978. Prior to his post at Edinburgh University, he was an orthopaedic registrar at Dundee Royal Infirmary and at the Bridge of Earn Hospital. He gained his FRCS in 1982. In 1994 became a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He also gained diplomas in obstetrics and gynaecology, family planning and community child health. He was a member of the Guild of Catholic Doctors. Alexander Gerald McFarlane died on 6 July 2013, he was 57.