Sir Josiah Court (17 January 1841 – 8 February 1938) was an English physician who determined the cause of miners' nystagmus and was responsible for greatly reducing the incidence of the disease, which causes partial or total blindness.Obituary, '' The Times'', 9 February 1938 Court was born in Warwick and educated at Warwick School in that town. He trained at Guy's Hospital and became MRCS in 1863 and LRCP in 1864. He practised in

Staveley, Derbyshire Staveley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Located along the banks of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother. It is (5 miles) northeast of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, (5 miles) w ...

, and was consulting surgeon to the Derbyshire Miners' Union. It was here that he discovered that the nystagmus was caused by poor lighting in the mines and persuaded the owners to install proper lighting to supplement the miners' lamps. He also worked on

ankylostomiasis Hookworm infection is an infection by a type of intestinal parasite known as a hookworm. Initially, itching and a rash may occur at the site of infection. Those only affected by a few worms may show no symptoms. Those infected by many worms may e ...

and published the influential book ''Miners' Diseases''. He unsuccessfully contested Derbyshire North-East as a Unionist candidate six times. Court was

knighted 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 Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

1920 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civil ...

for his services to miners.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Court, Josiah 1841 births 1938 deaths People from Warwick People educated at Warwick School 19th-century English medical doctors Knights Bachelor 20th-century English medical doctors