Dr Samuel Rabbeth (19 August 1858 – 20 October 1884) was a young medical doctor who died from

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

contracted from a child patient whom he tried to save. His tragic death was widely reported in the newspapers and there is a memorial to him in

Postman's Park Postman's Park is a public garden in central London, a short distance north of St Paul's Cathedral. Bordered by Little Britain, Aldersgate Street, St. Martin's Le Grand, King Edward Street, and the site of the former headquarters of the General ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Early life and education

He was born at

St Pancras, London St Pancras () is a district in north London. It was originally a medieval ancient parish and subsequently became a metropolitan borough. The metropolitan borough then merged with neighbouring boroughs and the area it covered now forms around ...

in 1858, his father, John Edward, working at Coutts' bank in the Strand. In 1881 up to his death in 1900 his father was living at Middleton Lodge, Upper Richmond Road,

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

, London, and at

King's College Hospital King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by K ...

and was elected an associate at the College. He was admitted to 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 ...

and passed his M.B. examination in

Obstetric medicine Obstetric medicine, similar to maternal medicine, is a sub-specialty of general internal medicine and obstetrics that specializes in process of prevention, diagnosing, and treating medical disorders in with pregnant women. It is closely related to ...

, receiving the University Scholarship and the Gold Medal, at the University of London in 1883. He was appointed senior resident medical officer at the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known simply as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barn ...

, London, in April 1884.

Death

He was senior medical officer of the Royal Free Hospital when a four-year old child, Leon Rex Jennings, was admitted suffering from diphtheria. In order to save the child's life it was necessary to perform a

tracheotomy Tracheotomy (, ), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision (cut) on the anterior aspect (front) of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The ...

, but the windpipe was found to be blocked. Dr Rabbeth used a tube to suck the matter out of the throat of the child. Afterwards he found that he was suffering from diphtheria and died on 20 October surrounded by his relations, friends and colleagues. The child later died.

Memorials

He was buried in Barnes Old Cemetery together with his father and aunt; his career is described in detail on his headstone. A brass tablet was placed in the inquest room of the Royal Free Hospital with the inscription "This tablet has been erected by the authorities of the Royal Free Hospital, Gray's-inn-road, and the medical staff to the memory of Samuel Rabbeth, M.B., M.R.C.S., Senior Resident Medical Officer of this hospital, who sacrificed his own life in the endeavour to save that of a little child, a patient under his care. Died 20th October, 1884; aged 26 years." A scholarship was named after him. There is a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

to him in Postman's Park, London and another in King's College Chapel at the Strand, London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabbeth, Samuel 1858 births 1884 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors Alumni of King's College London People from St Pancras, London People educated at King's College School, London Deaths from diphtheria Burials at Barnes Cemetery