Louis Borchardt (1816/7 – 15 November 1883) was a German-born physician and paediatrician, who became prominent in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He was an active supporter of suffrage and an advocate for women's equal standing in the medical profession.
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
) and studied medicine at the
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
, qualifying in 1838. He was lauded for his role in the medical relief effort during a typhus epidemic in 1845, but his 'ardent liberal proclivities in politics induced him to take a part with the insurrectionary party of 1848', for which he was imprisoned for two years. On release, he migrated to Britain.
Borchardt settled in Manchester in 1852, and—according to his obituary in ''
The BMJ
''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
''—"soon made a mark on account of his knowledge, independence of character, high intelligence, and excellent professional information". The year after his arrival, Borchardt began to work with the Children's Dispensary, which became the Children's Hospital at Pendlebury, a much admired institution. Borchardt was Honorary Physician of the hospital and dispensary for a quarter of a century. The 'Borchardt Ward' was named for him, and a marble bust of Borchardt was placed in the hospital.
Borchardt was a member of the
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...
's Council, and became President of its Lancashire and Cheshire Branch. He was also President of the Manchester Medical Society, and on the Executive Committee of the Manchester Nurse-Training Institution from its foundation in 1866.
Political causes
Borchardt was an active supporter of women's suffrage, and it was at his home on 11 January 1867 that the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage (MNSWS) was formed. This group included
Jacob Bright
The Rt Hon. Jacob Bright (26 May 1821 – 7 November 1899) was a British Liberal politician serving as Mayor of Rochdale and later Member of Parliament for Manchester.
Background
Bright was born at Green Bank near Rochdale, Lancashire. He was ...
and
Elizabeth Wolstenholme
Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme-Elmy (died 12 March 1918) was a life-long campaigner and organiser, significant in the history of women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She wrote essays and some poetry, using the pseudonyms E and Ignota.
Early ...
. Borchardt was also Vice President of the Union and Emancipation Society, which called for restoration of the American Union and the end of slavery in the US. His ''British Medical Journal'' obituary described Borchardt as identifying 'throughout his career, with the liberal side of every public question'. It went on:
At the meeting of the Association at Bath in 1878, he was a convinced advocate of the claims of the admission of medical women to an equal footing with medical men in the profession and in the Association. He was an active and energetic friend of the organisation of provident medical dispensaries. He never feared to face unpopularity, and did not hesitate publicly to advocate opinions which he believed to be just and liberal, in the face of hostile majorities.
Borchardt was active in
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politics: President of the Withington branch of the South East Lancashire Liberal Association, and chairman of the St Ann's branch of the Manchester Liberal Association. He also became, in 1860, the first chairman of the Manchester Schiller Anstalt, an Anglo-German gentleman's club whose members included
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels" '' Borchardt was acquainted with both Engels and
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, and is mentioned in their correspondence.
Death and legacy
Borchardt played a significant role in moving the in-patient accommodation of what was then the General Hospital and Dispensary for Sick Children to a healthier rural site at
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a town in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 13,069. It lies north-west of Manchester city centre, north-west of Salford and south-east of Bolton.
Historically in Lancash ...
. In 1876, when the new hospital, now the
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is a children's hospital in Oxford Road, Manchester, England. The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is managed by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
History
A new hospital was required to ...
, was nearing completion, he intended to retire but was asked to stay on until the new building was opened. The naming of a ward for Borchardt, and the bust of him placed in the hospital, demonstrated the regard with which he was held by colleagues.
Borchardt died at his home in
Fallowfield
Fallowfield is a suburb of Manchester, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 15,211. Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east–west by Wilmslow Road and north–south by Wil ...
, Manchester on 15 November 1883. He was buried five days later in the noncomformist section of
Southern Cemetery, Manchester
Southern Cemetery is a large municipal cemetery in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, south of the city centre. It opened in 1879 and is owned and administered by Manchester City Council. It is the largest municipal cemetery in the United ...
. An obituary printed in the ''British Medical Journal'' said:
He leaves behind him the reputation of a man of honour, honesty, courage, public spirit, and intelligence. Such characteristics are apt to lead a man through thorny paths, but they also lead him to the goal of duty and usefulness. Dr. Borchardt won the palm which he coveted; he lived honoured and respected, and in his death he leaves a name which his friends and family will long cherish.