Sir John Fife (1795–1871), was an English surgeon. Fife was born at

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in 1795, his father being a medical man of Scottish origin, practicing there. After qualifying as a member of the

London College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgery, surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wa ...

, he was for a short time an army assistant-surgeon at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

, but returned to Newcastle in 1815, and commenced practice with his father. As a practitioner, and especially as a surgeon, the took a leading position in his town and throughout the northern counties, being remarkable for his punctuality and for the long distances he would ride in all weathers. In 1834 he took an active part in founding the Newcastle School of Medicine, in which he long lectured on surgery, being also surgeon to the

Newcastle Infirmary The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is a 673-bed tertiary referral hospital and research centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with strong links to Newcastle University. The hospital is part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Tr ...

. He became fellow of the College of Surgeons in 1844. In 1848, assisted by Dr

Robert Mortimer Glover Dr Robert Mortimer Glover FRSE (1815-1859) was an English physician. In 1838 he co-founded the Paris Medical Society and served as its first Vice President. He won the Medical Society of London’s Fothergill Gold Medal in 1846 for his lecture ...

, he did the autopsy on the 15 year old Hannah Greener, who had died controversially under the effects of the then-new drug

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...

, the first human death from this cause.http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/anaesthesia59_394_400_2004.pdf

Politics

'Birth of Burns' programme, Newcastle - 1859-01-25

Fife's distinction as a local politician was even greater than his mark as a surgeon. He was an advanced liberal, and in his early days was stigmatized as a Chartist. In 1831 he was active in forming the

Northern Political Union Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

, which agitated in favour of the

Reform Bill In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

. Fife's stirring speeches had a great effect at this time. In 1835 he was elected one of the first members of the new corporation of Newcastle, and was immediately chosen

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

. In 1838–9 he was mayor, and when the Chartist outbreak of July 1839 took place he displayed conspicuous courage and good judgment in suppressing it. For this he was knighted in 1840. In 1843 he was again mayor, and presided at a great meeting on 22 Jan. 1843, addressed by Mr. Cobden, in furtherance of the Anti-Corn Law agitation. He continued a member of the corporation till 1863. He was one of the most influential promoters of the

volunteer movement The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

in Newcastle in 1859, and became lieutenant-colonel of the local regiment, resigning his post in 1868, and receiving a silver centrepiece valued at 100£ as a testimonial from the regiment. He was for some years president of the Newcastle Mechanics' Institute, and supported many educational and other measures for the benefit of the working classes. After a life of great activity, Fife suffered from stone in the bladder, which was removed by Sir W. Fergusson in 1870, but he was compelled to retire from practice. On 15 January 1871 he was attacked by paralysis, and died next day at Reedsmouth,

North Tyne North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, aged 75. He married a Miss Bainbridge, by whom he had several children, including four sons. Personally, Fife was held in warm regard by men of all parties. He was frank, openhearted, and generous, courtly in manner and neat in person.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, John 1795 births 1871 deaths 19th-century English people 18th-century English people English surgeons English politicians People from Newcastle upon Tyne English knights