Professor G. Ogilvie occupied the Regius chair of Physiology from 1860 to 1877 and was the original holder of the title. He never engaged much in original physiological research although he was an accomplished histologist. The development of physiological laboratories and the practical teaching of students came after his day.

Professor Olgivie's most important work was "The Master Builder's Plan, or the Principles of Organic Architecture as indicated in the Typical Forms of Animals" (1858) in which offered an explanation of the variety of animal forms and the relationship each form had to a 'great type'. All this was written before Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and although science has moved on since that time much of Ogilvie's reasoning appeared to be sound.

George Ogilvie inherited the estate of Boyndlie in 1876 and retired to live the life of a country gentleman.