John Ligertwood Paterson

John Ligertwood Paterson (September 14, 1820 – December 9, 1882) was a Scottish physician who lived and worked in Bahia, Brazil. He co-founded the Tropicalista School of Medicine in Brazil, along with O. E. H. Wucherer and José Francisco da Silva Lima.

Early life and education John Ligertwood Paterson was born on September 14, 1820, in Midmar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

His father, James Paterson, was a minister of the Secession church of Midmar. His elder brother, Alexander Ligertwood Paterson, was also a physician. After obtaining his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1841, John Ligertwood Paterson studied at the medical schools of Vienna and Paris.

Paterson co-founded the Tropicalista School of Medicine in Brazil, along with O. E. H. Wucherer (1820-1873) and José Francisco da Silva Lima (1826-1910). Paterson lived in Bahia for a quarter of a century.

Legacy In 1887, a monument with a bust of Paterson was erected in what is now the Graça district, bearing the following inscription in English and Portuguese: "As a testimony of friendship, esteem, and gratitude, this monument was erected by the public to the memory of John Ligertwood Paterson, on this site which was granted by the municipal council of the City of Bahia, President Dr. Augusto Ferreira França, and President of the Province Counsellor Pedro Luiz Pereira de Souza."