[2] He was appointed the first Professor of Materia Medica (in modern terms Pharmacology) at King’s College, London in 1829, resigning the chair in 1835, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1834.
[3] He was appointed an inspector of prisons in 1836 and as a metropolitan commissioner in lunacy in 1842, a position he held until 1845.
In his Report on the Health and Condition of the Manufacturing Districts, he recommended a reduction in the hours of work for children and women and the creation of public gardens and parks in Manchester, both of which took place.
Towards the latter part of his career he moved from London to Bournemouth and in 1858 was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset.
The Bisset Hawkins Medal, established in 1896 by the Royal College of Physicians to acknowledge work done in promoting public health, was named to honour his memory.