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Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet, FRS (27 October 1788 – 27 October 1873) was a British
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and travel writer.


Early life

Born in
Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town in the borough of Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England. Knutsford is south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and 12.5 miles (20 km) south-east of Warrington. The population at the 2011 Census wa ...
,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, Holland was the son of the physician Peter Holland (1766–1853) and his wife Mary Willets. Peter's sister Elizabeth was the mother of the novelist
Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...
, and Mary was the niece of the potter
Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indust ...
. He studied medicine at
Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
(MA, 1811).


Career

He had an extensive practice and was Domestic Physician to Caroline, Princess of Wales (briefly in 1814) and Physician Extraordinary to William IV and to Queen Victoria. He was also Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria in 1852. He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in January, 1815 and served on the council three times. He was created a Baronet in 1853. Scientifically, Holland made an early contribution to the
Germ theory of disease The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade h ...
in his essay "On the hypothesis of insect life as a cause of disease?" in "Medical Notes and Reflections", 1839.


Travel

Holland gained fame through his travel writings, having travelled to
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
and through the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and the
Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
, while the British were at war with France. He was also a talented society physician, and between his good looks, his charm, and his experiences and conversation, he was much in demand. On 4 December 1836 Holland attended a party hosted by Fanny and
Hensleigh Wedgwood Hensleigh Wedgwood (21 January 1803 – 2 June 1891) was a British etymologist, philologist and barrister, author of ''A Dictionary of English Etymology''. He was a cousin of Charles Darwin, whom his sister Emma Darwin, Emma married in 1839. Earl ...
for their relatives, shortly after
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
returned from the ''Beagle'' voyage. Darwin had sent home packets of his "journal", and he asked his relatives about captain FitzRoy's intent of incorporating it into the published ''Narrative''. Holland "looked over a few pages, and evidently thought that it would not be worth while to publish it alone, as it would be partly going over the same ground with the Captain." Darwin thought the "little Dr talked much good sense", but
Emma Wedgwood Emma Darwin (; 2 May 1808 – 2 October 1896) was an English woman who was the wife and first cousin of Charles Darwin. They were married on 29 January 1839 and were the parents of ten children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. Early lif ...
did not think Holland "any judge as to what is amusing or interesting", and Hensleigh felt if Holland "thought it would not do for publication it only affects my opinion of his taste & not the least in the world the merits of the thing itself". Darwin's ''Journal and Remarks'' became well known as ''
The Voyage of the Beagle ''The Voyage of the Beagle'' is the title most commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his ''Journal and Remarks'', bringing him considerable fame and respect. This was the third volume of ''The Narrative ...
''. Holland died on his 85th birthday, 27 October 1873, at his house in
Brook Street Brook Street is an axial street in the exclusive central London district of Mayfair. Most of it is leasehold, paying ground rent to and seeking lease renewals from the reversioner, that since before 1800, has been the Grosvenor Estate. Named a ...
,
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 ...
.


Family

In 1822 he married, Margaret Emma Caldwell (1795–1830, known as Emma), with whom he had two sons and two daughters: *
Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford Henry Thurstan Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, (3 August 1825 – 29 January 1914), known as Sir Henry Holland, Bt, from 1873 to 1888 and as The Lord Knutsford from 1888 to 1895, was a British Conservative politician, best known for serving as ...
(1825–1914) *
Francis James Holland Francis James Holland,(20 January 1828 – 27 January 1907) was a canon in the Church of England. He was born in St. George, Middlesex, a son of Sir Henry Holland and Margaret Emma Caldwell. He went to Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge in 1846 ...
(1828–1907) * Emily Mary Holland (1824–1908) married
Charles Buxton Charles Buxton (18 November 1822 – 10 August 1871) was an English brewer, philanthropist, writer and member of Parliament. Personal life and architectural legacy Buxton was born on 18 November 1822 in Cromer, Norfolk, the third son of Sir Tho ...
; their son was
Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, (25 October 1853 – 15 October 1934) was a radical British Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also served as the second Governor-General of South Africa from 1914 to 1920 ...
* Elinor Anne Holland (1826–1829) Emma died on 2 February 1830. He later became son-in-law to the wit
Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801), ...
whose daughter,
Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Saba (river), ...
, he married as his second wife, with whom he had two daughters: * Caroline Holland (1834–1909), author of ''Notebooks of a Spinster Lady'', publ. posth. 1919 * Gertrude Holland (1840–1898)


Arms


References


External links

*
''Recollections of Past Life'' By Sir Henry Holland ''Travels in the Ionian Isles, Albania, Thessaly, Macedonia, &c. During the Years 1812-1813.'' By Sir Henry Holland
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Henry, 1st Baronet 1788 births 1873 deaths People from Knutsford 19th-century English medical doctors English travel writers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Physicians-in-Ordinary