George Skene Keith (11 March 1819 – 12 January 1910)

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

, F.R.C.P.,

LL.D Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the earl ...

was a Scottish

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 ...

, photographer and author.

Biography

Keith was born in St Cyrus.George Skene Keith, M.D., Ll.D., F.R.C.P.E. '' British Medical Journal'', vol. 1, no. 2560, 1910, pp. 237–238. He took his M.D. degree in 1841 and was admitted a licentiate of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

(RCSEd). He became a Fellow of the RCSEd in 1845. Keith was a Gold Medallist in Professor

James Young Simpson Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet, (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. He was the first physician to demonstrate the anesthetic, anaesthetic properties of chloroform ...

's class at

University of Edinburgh 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 15 ...

. His father was minister Alexander Keith. In 1844, he visited Palestine with his father for five months and took some of the earliest photographs of the region.Gernsheim, Helmut; Gernsheim, Alison. (1968). ''L. J. M. Daguerre: The History of the Diorama and the Daguerreotype''. Dover Publications. p. 159 He took 30 daguerreotypes, eighteen of which were published as engravings in his father's book ''Evidences of the Truth of the Christian Religion'' in 1848. In 1847, Keith took part in an experiment with James Young Simpson and colleagues which demonstrated the use of

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 ...

upon humans as an

anaesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

. Keith practiced medicine successfully in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

until 1880 but later became disillusioned with the medical community and embraced

simple living Simple living refers to practices that promote simplicity in one's lifestyle. Common practices of simple living include reducing the number of possessions one owns, depending less on technology and services, and spending less money. Not only is ...

. He was not fond of

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

s, instead he prescribed little food, fresh air, plenty of hot water and rest to his patients.Gillespie AL
''A Plea for a Simpler Life, and Fads of an Old Physician''
Edinb Med J. 1900;8 (4):356–357.

Publications

*''Plea for a Simpler Faith'' (1897)
''Plea for a Simpler Life''
(1897)
''Fads of an Old Physician''
(1897)
''On Sanitary and Other Matters''
(1900)
''Plea for a Simpler Life: And, Fads of an Old Physician''
(1900)

References

External links

George Skene Keith
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WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, George Skene 1819 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 19th-century Scottish photographers Diet food advocates Simple living advocates