The Röntgen rays in medical work (1899) (14756961905)

Dawson Fyers Duckworth Turner, FRSE, FRCPE (1857–1928) was a British pioneer of radiology and patron of the arts, who died of radiation related cancer.

Early life

He was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1857 the son of Rev Dawson Turner and attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

in Shropshire. He then studied at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

in Nova Scotia, Canada where he graduated BA in 1884. Returning to Britain Turner studied at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

where he graduated in Medicine (MB CM with honours) in 1888 and attained his MD 1890. He became MRCPE in 1890 and was elected fellow (FRCPE) in 1891.

Early medical career

After serving as resident physician in the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

under Sir James Affleck he was appointed Lecturer in Physics at the

Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine Extramural medical education in Edinburgh began over 200 years before the university medical faculty was founded in 1726 and extramural teaching continued thereafter for a further 200 years. Extramural is academic education which is conducted o ...

Surgeons' Hall Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. In addition he acted as clinical tutor in clinical medicine at the Extramural School at Surgeons' Hall.

Radiology career

When X-rays were discovered by Röntgen in 1895 Dawson Turner was one of the first to appreciate their possible application in medicine.Obituary. Dawson Turner. BR Med J 1929 Jan 5 p48 He built an early X-ray apparatus in his home at 32 George Square, Edinburgh. On 5 February 1896 he demonstrated X-rays at a meeting of the

Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

.Calder J.F. ''The History of Radiology in Scotland''.Edinburgh, Dunedin Academic Press p4 In 1901 he became Physician in Charge of X-Rays at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

remaining in this role until ill-health caused his partial retirement in 1911 from which time he became "Extra Electrician" until his full retirement in 1925. He was one of the first, in 1902, to use X-rays in the treatment of cancer. In 1910 he was living at 37

George Square, Edinburgh George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to The Meadows (park), the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, ...

. In 1911 he was one of the earliest recorded persons using radium to treat

lymphosarcoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

. His surgical colleague Alexis Thomson inserted an aluminium case, which enclosed a glass tube containing radium bromide, into the tumour below the clavicle. Turner, over the next few days, exposed the involved lymph nodes above the clavicle to radium bromide contained in a second tube. There was no trace of the tumour when the patient was examined at three months or again at one year after treatment.

Honours received

In 1901 he succeeded

William Ivison Macadam Colonel William Ivison Macadam (27 January 1856 – 24 June 1902) Colonel Professor W. Ivison Macadam was a Scottish scientist, academic author and antiquarian. He was also Colonel of the 1st Lothian Volunteer Infantry Brigade and a leading F ...

as President of the

Royal Scottish Society of Arts The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by David Brewster, Sir David Brewster in 182 ...

(RSSA). In 1906 Turner was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were James Affleck,

Sir William Turner Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916. Life Turner was born in Lancaster ...

Cargill Gilston Knott Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...

and

James Gordon MacGregor James Gordon MacGregor, FRS FRSE LLD (31 March 1852 in Halifax, Canada – 21 May 1913 in Edinburgh) was a Canadian physicist. He was described as "brilliant, energetic, nervous, impatient", and not suffering fools gladly. Life MacGregor ...

. He was Vice President of the Roentgen Society.

Later life

His Edinburgh address until retiral due to ill-health was 37 George Square. The building was demolished by

in the 1960s to make way for George Square Library. Early in his career he had lost two fingers of his left hand as a result of exposure to radiation which had also resulted in the loss of an eye. For the last years of his life he did not enjoy good health and his symptoms were presumed to result from radiation exposure. He died of radiation related cancer at

Godalming Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

on Christmas Day 1928. His is one of the 14 British names of the 169 included on the ''

Monument to the X-ray and Radium Martyrs of All Nations The Monument to the X-ray and Radium Martyrs of All Nations (also known as the X-ray Martyrs' Memorial) is a memorial in Hamburg, Germany, commemorating those who died due to their work with the use of radiation, particularly X-rays, in medicine. ...

'' erected in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany in 1936. In 1931

erected a memorial plaque to his memory in the radiology department.University of Edinburgh Journal, vol 4, p.48

Family

He was married to Emily Barry, daughter of William Barry of

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

Selected publications

*Turner, Dawson. ''A Manual of Practical Medical Electricity: The Röntgen Rays, Finsen Light, Radium and Its Radiations and High-Frequency Currents''. New York: William Wood & Co, 1904 *Turner, Dawson F. D. ''Radium; its Physics and Therapeutics'' Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. London. Baillière, Tindall & Cox: London, 1914. *Turner, Dawson. ''Some Reflections Based Upon the Work Done in the Electrical Department of the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh''. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 1 (1908): 118-125. *Turner, Dawson. ''A Case of Myeloma of the Sternum Treated by Radium''. British Medical Journal. 2.2849 (1915): 218 *Turner, Dawson. ''Cancer and the Roentgen Rays''. British Medical Journal. 2.2178 (1902): 976 *Turner, Dawson. ''Report on the Radium Treatment at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, During the Year 1916''. Archives of Radiology and Electrotherapy. 22.8 (1918): 251-257 *Turner, Dawson. ''The Dosage of Radium''. British Medical Journal. 1.3238 (1923): 100-101

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Dawson 1857 births 1928 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Liverpool British radiologists X-ray pioneers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School Physicians of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh