Rear admiral Sir William Watson Cheyne, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, FRS, FRCS[1] (14 December 1852 – 19 April 1932) was a Scottish surgeon and bacteriologist who pioneered the use of antiseptic surgical methods in the United Kingdom.

Two years later he won the Syme Surgical Fellowship for his thesis, "Record of some work done during the winter session 1876-77".

[3] He had a work published in 1882, Antiseptic Surgery: Its Principles, Practice, History and Results, and later in 1925 a book, Lister and His Achievement.

He found that giving repeated doses improved the condition of patients, but rarely acted as a cure.

[7][8] Cheyne served during the Boer War as a consulting surgeon for the British military in South Africa from 1900 to 1901.

In a despatch dated 31 March 1900, the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa, Lord Roberts, described how Cheyne had "rendered invaluable service by ... advice and assistance to the Medical Officers" and "been unwearying in ... work among the wounded and sick".

[3] From 1914 to 1916, he served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and in 1924 he was awarded the inaugural Lister Medal for his contributions to surgical science.