William Gairdner, a British physician, born near Ayr, Scotland, Nov. 11, 1793, died in Avignon, France, in April, 1867. He graduated in medicine at Edinburgh in 1813, and until 1822 spent most of his time on the continent. He then settled in London and commenced practice. He was distinguished for his observations on the medical uses of iodine, and published a treatise on this subject. His "Gout, its History, Cause, and Cure (London, 1849) has long been a standard work.