William Louis Abbott (1860-1936) was native of Philadelphia, America. In 1884, he received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and furthered his medical studies in England, in England, attaining a Licentiates from the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians. However, he did not pursue a career in this field, instead pursued his interest for adventure by travelling around the world upon receiving his inheritance. Since graduation, he has visited East Africa, Europe, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Kashmir India, Turkestan and sailed to the Far East in 1896 including Tibet until 1898. His explorations later took him to this part of the region in Southeast Asia where he made Singapore his base for 10 years from 1899. During his voyages, he amassed a collection which included mammal and bird specimens and ethnological artefacts.