Anatomist. Born in Edinburgh, Monro specialised in the anatomy of the stomach and studied hernia. He succeeded his father as Professor of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh, resulting in the continuous occupation of the chair through grand-father, father and son for an incredible 128 years! The family helped to establish Edinburgh as a centre of medical excellence. The naturalist Charles Darwin attended Monro's lectures during his time in Edinburgh (1825-27), although Monro was a notably awful lecturer and this may have been a factor in Darwin abandoning his medical studies.