Dr. "Jock" MacPherson

[Ric Gillespie]

Tonight my answer is, "Thrown into a medical waste bin in the early 1950s."

Having immersed myself in the WPHC records of the entire incident, I must agree with Marty.  At the conclusion of the investigation, the bones and the objects found with the bones were dismissed as being not related to "Mrs. Putnam."  There is no indication that any of the handful of people who knew about the incident believed that the bones might really be Amelia's.  Bones and objects that were initially thought to be possibly of importance were now officially worthless. 

With the advantage of knowing so much more than the WPHC knew, we can see clearly that Gallagher had found Amelia Earhart.  A close reading of the WPHC file, supported by research into the qualifications, personalities, and political considerations of the people involved, makes it possible to understand how the ball was dropped - just as a close examination of the U.S.Navy search shows where it went wrong. 

[Ric Gillespie]

Here's a brief timeline summary of what we've been able to learn about Jock Macpherson:

1928 – Graduated from University of Glasgow Medical School with M.B, Ch.B
Senior Vice President of the Glasgow University Medico-Chirurgical Society.

1929 - Medical Officer, Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony

1931 - Acting Senior Medical Officer of the G&EIC

Awarded a Fellowship in the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation.

1933-1935 -  On leave.  Granted a Certificate in Public Health , June 12, 1934, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and a Diploma in Tropical Medicine from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, England.
Resumed duty in Fiji Feb. 19, 1935 and transferred to Fiji Service.

1939, July – Appointed Pathologist for the Colony of Fiji.

1939, Oct. – Appointed Assistant to Central Medical Authority of Western Pacific.

1940 - Acting Central Medical Authority of Western Pacific.

1943 - died in Suva , age 42. Cause of death cirrhosis of the liver