His dining club attracted some of the finest minds that London society had to offer. Hunter’s anatomical collections are housed in the Thomson Building, and his pathological preparations at the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.The University of Glasgow is a registered Scottish charity: Registration Number SC004401 Hunter suffered from rheumatism, gout, and kidney stones for a number of years. William was their seventh child and only he, James, John, and their sister Dorothea survived into adulthood. The opportunity to mix with the men who were leading the English Enlightenment gave William the chance to use his excellent networking skills to climb the social and professional ladder. In 1731, at the age of 13, William Hunter enrolled at the University of Glasgow to study for a Master of Arts degree, which would lead him into a career in the church. He died on the 30th March and was buried on the 6th April in the Rector’s vault at St. James’s Church, Piccadilly (destroyed during an air-raid in 1940).By the terms of his Will (written in 1781) he left possession of his Museum and Library at Great Windmill Street to the Principal and Faculty of the College of Glasgow and a sum of £8,000 (nearly £1.2 million today) to build a museum to house it.
Stubbs shared Hunter’s passion for anatomy, so his paintings are scientifically accurate. By 1783 his health was deteriorating. First going to Leiden in Holland, he met some of his heroes, such as the great Dutch anatomist Albinus, and visited important medical collections.
During a brief visit to Scotland in 1750, in recognition of his achievements in anatomy and of his connections with Edinburgh, he was formally made a Burgess and Guild Brother of the City. He did not actually see the mother or child for an hour and a half after the birth.William Hunter was appointed Physician Extraordinary to Queen Charlotte in 1764 and supervised the delivery of her fourteen other children. He was very popular with students and members of the fashionable set. In 1748, planning to open a school of anatomy in London, he decided to refresh his knowledge of continental teaching practices. In keeping with the practice of the time, Hunter was not actually present at the birth of Prince George. In Paris, Hunter renewed old acquaintances and studied the latest developments in his field.His sister Dorothea stayed with him for a short while in 1757 before her marriage to James Baillie.
Hunter also catalogued much of his own collection, including his extensive library, his anatomical preparations and his minerals. In 1774, the Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792) wrote to Hunter thanking him for attending to his mistress, Martha Ray (1742-1779).