George Ranken Playfair

George Ranken Playfair (1818 - 1881) was a Scottish surgeon, known for being part of the Andaman Committee that surveyed the Andaman Islands in 1857 for the purpose of finding a site for a penal colony.[1][2]

Playfair entered the Indian Medical Service in 1840 and served with the Royal Navy during the First Opium War, for which he was awarded a campaign medal.[2] He subsequently joined the Bengal Medical Service, and was awarded a medal and clasp for his service during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[2] He later served as Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals in Bengal and from 1858 to 1868 was President of the Medical College at Agra.[2][3]

In 1859 Playfair published a study of the Andaman Islands.[2] A photographer, he accompanied Samuel Bourne on an expedition to the Himalayas in 1866 to 1867.[2] During periods of leave, he studied in Edinburgh with Sir James Young Simpson.[2] He retired in 1872 with the rank of Surgeon-General.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Sircar, Pronob Kumar (2026). "4. Andaman Committee". The Hidden History of Andaman and Nicobar. Notion Press. p. 147. ISBN 979-8-90362-907-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Letters from George Ranken Playfair in India to his parents and sisters". collections.st-andrews.ac.uk. St Andrews University. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Prŷs-Jones, Robert P. (October 2022). "Allan Octavian Hume (1829–1912): his development as an ornithologist until his departure from Etawah district, India, in 1867". Archives of Natural History. 49 (2): 391–407. doi:10.3366/anh.2022.0799. ISSN 0260-9541.
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