John Wheeler Dowden, FRCSEd (1 October 1866 – 8 March 1936) was a surgeon, born in Ireland, who worked for most of his career at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

In 1874 Rev Dowden was appointed  Professor of Theology at the Scottish Episcopal church's Trinity College, Glenalmond, Scotland, moving there with his wife Louisa (née Jones) and their six children.

For a short time he served as  assistant to Dr Thomas Burn Murdoch in general practice in Morningside, Edinburgh.

[4] During World War I Dowden was commissioned as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps (R.A.M.C).

Here he served alongside a fellow surgeon Montagu Cotterill, whose father, Like Dowden's had been Bishop of Edinburgh and who, like Dowden would go on to become President of the RCSEd.He also saw service at Edinburgh War Hospital at Bangour.