William Cotton Oswell

William Cotton Oswell (27 April 1818 – 1 May 1893) was an English explorer in Africa and other areas.

He spent ten years there, learning Tamil and other languages and studying surgery and medicine.

[1] He was sent to South Africa for health reasons, and explored the Kalahari Desert in Bechuanaland (now Botswana) and located Lake Ngami.

He returned to England in 1853 and performed medical duties during the Crimean War.

Livingstone described Oswell as having had lucky escapes, having been tossed by a rhinoceros on two occasions.