Sir James Kingston Fowler, KCMG, KCVO, FRCP (11 March 1852 – 3 July 1934) was a British physician, noted for his work at Middlesex Hospital and as an expert in diseases of the lungs.

Early life and education

James Kingston Fowler was born at Woburn, Befordshire, on 11 March 1852; he was the fifth son of James Fowler and his wife, Frances, daughter of Henry Sargeant of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. He was admitted at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, in 1870, initially to prepare him for

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

into the priesthood, but he decided to pursue a medical career instead.R. A. Young
"Fowler, Sir James Kingston (1852–1934)"
rev. Michael Bevan, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 ). Retrieved 7 June 2017. At King's, Fowler completed his initial medical training and in 1871 won a Warneford scholarship.G. H. Brown, "Fowler, James Kingston (Sir)", ''Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians'', vol. iv (London, 1955), p. 313. He qualified in 1874 as a Member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

(MRCS), and then spent two years as House Surgeon and Physician at King's College Hospital."Fowler, Sir James Kingston"
''Who Was Who'', online edition, Oxford University Press, April 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2017. In 1876, he gained the diploma of Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) and then, between 1877 and 1879 was House Physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. While in Cambridge, he entered Caius College and graduated with his Bachelor of Medicine (MB) degree in 1879 and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1880.

Career

After leaving Cambridge, Fowler briefly took up a post as

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

, but in 1880 he was elected an assistant physician at the Middlesex Hospital. He was promoted to full physician in 1891, and in 1899 was appointed joint lecturer on the practice of medicine. In 1913, he was promoted to Consulting Physician and Emeritus Lecturer. From 1880, he was also associated with Brompton Hospital and later held posts at the Sanatorium in Midhurst. Fowler was also a member of the Senate of

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, playing a part in its reorganisation in 1900, and was dean of the faculty of medicine there. He was also an examiner for the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and a Censor for the Royal College of Physicians. He was also one of the first members of the colonial advisory medical and sanitary committee formed in 1909, and was chairman of the medical appointments board. Fowler was principally concerned with diseases of the chest. He edited the ''Dictionary of Practical Medicine'' in 1890 and then, with

Rickman Godlee Sir Rickman John Godlee, 1st Baronet (15 February 1849 – 18 April 1925) was an English surgeon. In 1884 he became one of the first doctors to surgically remove a brain tumor, founding modern brain surgery. Early life Godlee was born in Up ...

, published ''Diseases of the Lungs'' in 1898. He also completed a monograph, ''Pulmonary Tuberculosis'', in 1921. He also wrote on emphysema and syphilis of the lungs for Allbutt's ''System of Medicine'' in 1898 and 1909. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Fowler served with the 3rd London Territorial General Hospital as a consulting physician and the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

; he was stationed at

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

and

Queen Alexandra Military Hospital The Queen Alexandra Military Hospital (QAMH) opened in July 1905. It was constructed immediately to the north of the Tate Britain (across a side-street) adjacent to the River Thames on the borders of the neighbourhoods of Millbank and Pimlico, W ...

Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Millb ...

. His wartime service saw him

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

; he was also appointed a Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in 1919; promotion in that order to Knight Commander (KCMG) followed in 1932, when he retired from his positions in the Colonial Office. He also received the

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree from

Sheffield University , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

in 1908, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

for attending on

Prince Francis of Teck Prince Francis of Teck, (Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick; 9 January 1870 – 22 October 1910) was the younger brother of the British queen Mary of Teck, wife of King George V. Family Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick, known as "Frank", was bo ...

in 1910.

Personal life

According to G. H. Brown's entry in '' Munk's Roll'', Fowler was "an able, well-equipped teacher. Elegant and distinguished in appearance, he had a wide circle of friends in all walks of life." He never married but was a good friend of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu; Fowler wrote a history of

Beaulieu Abbey Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203–1204 by King John and (uniquely in Britain) populated by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order. Th ...

in 1911 and lived in retirement at the warden's lodge there. He died on 3 July 1934.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler Kingston, James 1852 births 1934 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English medical doctors Academics of the University of London Academics of the University of Cambridge Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of Sheffield Royal Army Medical Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I British medical writers 20th-century English historians Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People from Woburn, Bedfordshire Physicians of the Middlesex Hospital Physicians of the Westminster Hospital