Sir James Alderson
FRS (30 December 1794 – 13 September 1882) was an English physician born and based in
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
. He was President of the
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
.
Biography
Alderson was the younger son of
John Alderson. He received his early education at the school of Dr. Lee, a dissenting minister in Hull. While still in his teens he went out to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
as clerk to a wine merchant, just before the conclusion of the
Peninsular war
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
.
On his return to England he entered
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...
in 1818. He took his B. A. degree in 1822 as sixth
wrangler; became a fellow of Pembroke in 1823; M.A. 1825, and the following year he was incorporated at
Magdalen Hall, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...
, as M.B. The degree of M.D., Oxford, followed in 1829.
To the
College of Physicians A college of physicians is a national or provincial organisation concerned with the practice of medicine.
{{Expand list, date=February 2011
Such institutions include:
* American College of Physicians
* Ceylon College of Physicians
* College of Phy ...
he was admitted
inceptor candidate, 26 June 1826; candidate, 30 September 1829; and fellow, 30 September 1830. He settled for a short time in London, and was physician to the
Carey Street Dispensary.
On the death of his father he succeeded to a large and lucrative practice in Hull and the neighbouring parts of Lincolnshire and the
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...
. He was also elected physician to the Hull Infirmary. He manifested a warm interest in promoting the educational movement in the town.
About 1850 he left Hull once more for London, and settled in
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...
, London. On the foundation of
St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in 1851, he was appointed senior physician, a post which he held until elected president of the College of Physicians in 1867, when the governors unanimously elected him consulting physician. He was treasurer of the college from 1854 to 1867, and took much interest in its administration, priding himself greatly on unearthing the original charter granted by
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
, which had long been lost. He held the office of president, to which his urbane manners and pleasing presence seemed to recommend him, on the retirement of Sir
Thomas Watson, and retained the chair for four years in succession, retiring in 1870. He was the representative of the college at the
General Council of Medical Education and Registration from 1864 to 1866.
He was appointed
physician extraordinary to the queen in 1874, having previously, in 1869, received the honour of
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
.
Sir James was a
fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
and contributed occasional papers to their ‘Transactions,’ and to the ‘Transactions’ of the
Medico-Chirurgical Society
The Medical and Chirurgical Society of London was a learned society of physicians and surgeons which was founded in 1805 by 26 personalities in these fields who had left the Medical Society of London (founded 1773) because of disagreement with th ...
. He delivered the
Lumleian lectures
The Lumleian Lectures are a series of annual lectures started in 1582 by the Royal College of Physicians and currently run by the Lumleian Trust. The name commemorates John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, who with Richard Caldwell of the College endowe ...
in 1852 and 1853, and, what is unusual, was twice appointed to deliver the
Harveian oration
The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feas ...
in 1854 and 1867.
He was an omnivorous reader, and a shrewd observer of men and things, from whom the world of readers might reasonably have expected instruction and amusement. He opportunely met
Bishop Wilberforce
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
when the latter was seized by an illness in Italy, and the two travelled homeward together. Alderson had some entertaining reminiscences of the journey, which he was accustomed to relate with great zest.
He published in 1847 a work on ‘Diseases of the Stomach and Alimentary Canal,’ in which was embodied the result of his extensive experience in a most important class of diseases.
He died at his home in
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...
and was buried at
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.
One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...
.
‘Alderson, Sir James (1794–1882)’
Robert Harrison rev. Michael Bevan, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 9 December 2013
References
;Attribution
*
External links
Alderson, James. ''A brief outline of the history and progress of cholera at Hull''. (London, 1832).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alderson, James
19th-century English medical doctors
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
People from Kingston upon Hull
Fellows of the Royal Society
1794 births
1882 deaths
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians
Burials at West Norwood Cemetery