relic for a person

Question

"Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran was born in Madras, India. He is a neurologist, of Hindu background, and a proud relic of nineteenth-century science who tackles twenty-first-century dilemmas. . . . His office is filled not with high-tech devices but rather with simple nineteenth-century machines, the little inventions that draw children to science."
"
The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge M.D.

In the bold phrase, the word 'relic' refers to a person, but dictionaries say it is used for things.

Could you please give me your view?

Thank you

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

Usually it refers to objects, but you occasionally hear it used to refer to someone who is a survivor of an earlier time, or who does something that is not often done today, etc. See http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/relic

Anonymous · Answer

This would be easier to answer if you had included what was in the "...."  As it stands, the word "relic" might be used to describe a person, if that person displays unusually archaic characteristics.  However, the phrase "a proud relic of nineteenth-century science" is not right, because this indicates an inanimate object, a relic of 19th cent. science, like an old-fashioned scientific instrument, but "relic" here refers to the doctor.  It should be something like:  "He is a neurologist, of Hindu background, a relic out of the 19th cent., who tackles 21st cent. medical problems with 19th cent. methods."

relic for a person

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