Portrait of William Copeman Wellcome L0015922

William Sidney Charles Copeman (1900 – 24 November 1970) was a British rheumatologist and a

medical historian The medical history, case history, or anamnesis (from Greek: ἀνά, ''aná'', "open", and μνήσις, ''mnesis'', "memory") of a patient is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either to the patient or to other peo ...

, best remembered for his contributions to the study of arthritic disease. As a rheumatologist, Copeman was influential in the running of the Heberden Society, the foundation and editorship of the '' Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases'', and the first editor of the ''Textbook of the Rheumatic Diseases'' which was first published in 1948. He worked at the Arthur Stanley Institute for Rheumatic Diseases at Middlesex Hospital, as well as being the consultant rheumatologist for the British Army and the

Royal Star and Garter Home, Richmond The Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill, in Richmond, London, was built between 1921 and 1924 to a design by Sir Edwin Cooper, based on a plan produced by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1915, to provide accommodation and nursing facilitie ...

. In 1936, he set up the Empire Rheumatism Council, now known as

Arthritis Research UK Versus Arthritis is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis. It was launched in September 2018, following the legal merger of the two leading arthritis charities in the UK, Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care ...

. As a medical historian, Copeman gave the

Fitzpatrick Lectures The Fitzpatrick Lecture is given annually at the Royal College of Physicians on a subject related to history of medicine. The lecturer, who must be a fellow of the College, is selected by the president and may be chosen to speak for two years su ...

at the Royal College of Physicians, which formed the content for his 1960 book ''Doctors and Diseases in Tudor Times''. He also published a book on the ''History of Gout and Rheumatic Diseases'' which stemmed from lectures given at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

. He was also elected a fellow of the International Academy of the History of Medicine. He was president of the

History of Medicine Society at The Royal Society of Medicine, London Founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, the History of Medicine Society (formally "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, is one of the oldest History of Medicine societies in the world and is one of the four founder committees ...

between 1964 and 1966. During this time, he represented the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries when founding the

British Society for the History of Medicine The British Society for the History of Medicine (BSHM) is an umbrella organisation of History of medicine societies throughout the United Kingdom, with particular representation to the International Society for the History of Medicine. It has grown ...

in 1965. He was the son of Dr

Sydney Copeman Sydney Arthur Monckton Copeman K.St.J FRS FRCP (21 February 1862 – 11 April 1947) was a British medical doctor and senior medical officer in the Ministry of Health. He was the eldest son of Rev Arthur Charles Copeman, Vicar of St Andrew's N ...

, also a well-known physician. During World War I, he served as an officer with the Coldstream Guards. His son was the dermatologist

Peter Copeman Peter William Monckton Copeman FRCS (9 April 1932 – 13 July 2018) was an English dermatologist known as "Dr Spot" by his colleagues. He was consultant physician at Westminster Hospital and consulting dermatologist at Chelsea and Westminster Ho ...

, also known as Dr Spot.

Selected publications

*''A Short History of the Gout and the Rheumatic Diseases'' (1964)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copeman, W. S. C. 1900 births 1970 deaths British rheumatologists English medical historians Coldstream Guards officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Gout researchers 20th-century British medical doctors Presidents of the History of Medicine Society Presidents of the Osler Club of London