David Christison

One of his colleagues from his time employed at the Royal Infirmary, Alexander Struthers, died in the British Army's infamous Scutari Hospital in Istanbul where illnesses were rife due to poor conditions.

After retiring from the medical profession, Christison took an interest in archaeology,[6] becoming a strong advocate for methodical and rigorous observation in the discipline.

He undertook a systematic study of Scotland's hillforts through field research, visiting a large number of sites over several years.

His careful expositions often include direct witness of examples of thoughtless loss, damage and degradation to unprotected sites in his lifetime, as for example the following on the Castle of Doon, Ayrshire, in 1893: "This interesting ruin is situated on a small, smooth rock-island in Loch Doon, and the whole space between the walls and the water [...] is covered with loose blocks, certainly not derived from the castle wall of enciente, which still stands to nearly its full height; although, alas!

tottering to its fall, the stones of the pediment having been disgracefully allowed to be torn away a few years ago — a wanton destruction of one of the most interesting ruins in Scotland which is to be lamented.

"[7]In 1894, Christison delivered the Rhind lectures and in 1898 published a connected analysis of his results in his book, Early Fortifications in Scotland.

As the first comprehensive survey of hillforts in the British Isles, often critical of previous neglect of the subject, it was through this work that Christison helped to pioneer a fuller and more meticulous understanding of the history and significance of these sites than had hitherto been the case.