Frederic John Mouat trained at University College London, qualifying Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1838. He was a distinguished surgeon in the Indian Civil Medical Service who became Professor of Medicine in the Bengal Medical College. After 30 years in India, where he was a leading figure in the field of education and prison reform, he retired to the UK in 1870. Then he started a new career as an Inspector for the Local Government Board. He was also an active member of the Royal Statistical Society, becoming its President in 1890. He died in 1897 leaving a widow and four stepchildren.