Robert Gooch, M.D. (January 1784 – 16 February 1830) was an English physician.

Life

Born at

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, in June 1784, he was son of Robert Gooch, a sea captain who was a grandson of Sir Thomas Gooch. He was educated at a private day school, and when fifteen was apprenticed to Giles Borrett, surgeon-apothecary at Yarmouth. When

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

came to visit the wounded of the battle of Copenhagen, Gooch went round the Yarmouth Hospital with him. In 1804 he went to the

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 1 ...

, where among his friends were Henry Southey and William Knighton. In his vacations he studied German at Norwich with William Taylor, and became engaged to Emily Bolingbroke. He graduated M.D. June 1807, his inaugural dissertation being on

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...

. After a tour in the Scottish Highlands, and some further holiday in Norfolk, he came to London, worked under

Astley Cooper Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet (23 August 176812 February 1841) was a British surgeon and anatomist, who made contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathol ...

, and in 1808 began general practice at

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

. He then married the lady to whom he had been engaged for four years. She died in January 1811, and her child in July of the same year. He left Croydon, took a house in Aldermanbury, and after a tour during which he came to know

Robert Southey Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...

at Keswick, he was admitted a licentiate of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

on 6 March 1812. Shortly he was elected lecturer on

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many ...

St. Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

. In January 1814 he married the sister of

Benjamin Travers Benjamin Travers, FRS (3 April 1783 – 6 March 1858) was a British surgeon, known for his expertise in the physiology and morbidity of the eye. From 1857 to his death, he was the Serjeant Surgeon, a member of the Medical Household (part of t ...

the surgeon, and in 1816 went to live in

Berners Street Berners Street is a thoroughfare located to the north of Oxford Street in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, originally developed as a residential street in the mid-18th century by property developer William Berners, and later ...

, where his practice in midwifery and the diseases of women soon became large. His health was poor, and often obliged him to suspend his work. In January 1826 he had hæmoptysis, and in April of that year his friend Sir William Knighton procured for him the post of librarian to the king. Confined to bed by

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

, he died 16 February 1830, leaving two sons and a daughter. His portrait by

Richard James Lane Richard James Lane (16 February 1800 – 21 November 1872) was a prolific British engraver and lithographer. The National Portrait Gallery has some 850 lithographs of his portraits and figure studies, done between 1825 and 1850. The images incl ...

, given by his daughter, is at the College of Physicians in London.

Works

He wrote in the ''London Medical Record''. In 1829 Gooch finished at

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

the ‘Account of some of the most Important Diseases peculiar to Women,’ which is his major work. During one of his journeys abroad for his health he wrote the letters on ''Beguines and Nursing'', printed in the appendix to Southey's ''Colloquies on Society''. In the ''

Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...

'' he wrote an article on the plague (December 1825) and another on the Anatomy Act (January 1830). His papers were edited, with a revision of his treatise on the diseases of women, by Robert Ferguson, London, 1859.

References

External links

Wellcome Library blogRCP page
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gooch, Robert 1784 births 1830 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Great Yarmouth