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Sir Henry Thompson, 1st Baronet, (6 August 1820 – 18 April 1904) was a British surgeon and
polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
. His interest was particularly in the surgery of the genito-urinary tract.


Medical career

Thompson was born at Framlingham, Suffolk. His father wished him to enter business, but he was eventually (by 1848) able to enrol in the Medical School of
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
. He obtained his medical degree in 1851 with the highest honours in
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...
and surgery and set up a practice at 35
Wimpole Street Wimpole Street is a street in Marylebone, central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian architecture, Edwardian baroq ...
in London, where he lived and worked until his death in 1904. In 1853 he was appointed assistant surgeon at
University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...
, becoming full surgeon in 1863, professor of clinical surgery in 1866, and consulting surgeon in 1874. In 1884 he became professor of surgery and pathology in 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 ...
. Specializing in surgery of the genito-urinary tract, and in particular in that of the
bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the bladder is a distens ...
, he studied in Paris under Jean Civiale, who in the first quarter of the 19th century had developed a procedure to crush a
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
within the human bladder and who had invented an instrument for this minimally invasive surgery. After his return from Paris, Thompson soon acquired a reputation as a skilful surgeon in that class of disease. In 1863, when King
Leopold I of Belgium Leopold I (16 December 1790 – 10 December 1865) was the first king of the Belgians, reigning from 21 July 1831 until his death in 1865. The youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold took a commission in the Imperial Rus ...
was suffering from
kidney stones Kidney stone disease (known as nephrolithiasis, renal calculus disease, or urolithiasis) is a crystallopathy and occurs when there are too many minerals in the urine and not enough liquid or hydration. This imbalance causes tiny pieces of cr ...
, Thompson was called to
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
to consult in the case, and after some difficulties was allowed to perform the operation of lithotripsy. It was successful, and in recognition of his skill Thompson was appointed surgeon-extraordinary to the King, an appointment which was continued by Leopold II. Nearly ten years later Thompson carried out a similar operation on the former Emperor
Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
; however, the Emperor died four days after, not from the surgical procedure, as was proved by the post-mortem examination, but from
uremia Uremia is the condition of having high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess in the blood of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, which ...
. In 1874 Thompson helped in founding the ''
Cremation Society of Great Britain The Cremation Society of Great Britain (now known as The Cremation Society) was founded in 1874 to promote the use of cremation as an alternative means of dealing with the bodies of the dead instead of burial which until then was the only option. T ...
'', of which he was the first president; he also did much toward the removal of the legal restrictions on
cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
. He denounced the prevailing methods of death certification in Great Britain; and in 1892 a select committee was appointed to inquire into the matter; its report, published the following year, was generally in line with his thinking. Woking Crematorium finally became the first of its kind in the UK. Thompson's last public duty for the society, in 1903, was to open
Birmingham Crematorium Birmingham Crematorium is a crematorium in the Perry Barr district of Birmingham, England, designed by Frank Osborne (architect), Frank Osborne and opened in 1903. A columbarium was added in 1928. The crematorium is now owned and operated by Di ...
, the country's ninth. He died in April 1904 aged 83; his body was cremated at
Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...
, the first in London, which he had opened in 1902.


Personal life

Thompson was also an artist, producing sketches and paintings, some of which were hung at the
Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
and in the
Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...
. About 1870 he began to collect Chinese
porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
, in particular of old blue and white
Nanking Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yan ...
; in time his collection became so large that he could no longer find room for it, and most of it was sold. A catalogue of it, illustrated by himself and James Whistler, was published in 1878. He was also interested in
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
, and for a time maintained a private
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...
in his house at
Molesey Molesey is a suburban district comprising two large villages, East Molesey and West Molesey, in the Borough of Elmbridge, Surrey, England. Molesey is within the Greater London Built-up Area, and is situated on the south bank of the River Thames ...
. He presented the
Royal Greenwich Observatory The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (ROG; known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory, RGO, temporarily moved south from Greenwich to Herstmonceux) is an observatory situated on a hill in G ...
several instruments, including a photographic
heliograph A heliograph () is a solar telegraph system that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code from the 1840s) reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a s ...
of 9-inch
aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
; a 30-inch
reflecting telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...
, and a large
refracting telescope A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...
with a 26-inch object glass (of 22 feet
focal length The focal length of an Optics, optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the Multiplicative inverse, inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system Converge ...
). The offer of the last instrument was made in 1894. Its manufacture was undertaken by Sir Howard Grubb of Dublin, and its erection was completed in 1897. Sir Henry Thompson,
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
ed in 1867, received a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
cy in 1899, in connection with his telescope gifts to the National Observatory. In 1851 he married Kate Loder, a pianist, who was stricken with
paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...
after 1871. On his death, his only son, Herbert, a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
and
Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end ...
, succeeded to the baronetcy. Of his two daughters, the elder Kate Mary Margaret Thompson (1856–1942) was the author of a valuable ''Handbook to the Public Picture Galleries of Europe'', first published in 1877. She married Henry William Watkins, Archdeacon of Durham. The younger daughter, Helen Edith Thompson (1860–1930), married the Ven. Henry Lawe Corry Vully de Candole. They had two sons, the youngest was the World War I poet Alec de Candole Thompson believed in an impersonal God. In his 1903 essay ''"The Unknown God?"'', he promoted the idea that an eternal source of energy exists in the universe that is beneficent and intelligent but not personal. He argued that all the major religions which are regarded as "divinely" inspired are unsubstantiated and unsupported by evidence.


Debate over vegetarianism

Thompson was incorrectly cited and misquoted by vegetarians as being a supporter of
vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
. For example, he is cited as supporting a vegetarian diet in
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
's essay ''The Superiority of Vegetarianism''. Thompson rejected excessive meat consumption and promoted a "lighter" diet but was not a vegetarian. He was involved in a debate over vegetarianism which led to controversy in the '' Nineteenth Century'' magazine. Thompson authored two articles on vegetarianism, in 1898. Thompson stated that those that consume only from the vegetable kingdom can be called "vegetarians", not those that consume animal products such as dairy and eggs. Josiah Oldfield responded to this by stating that eggs and milk "may rightly form an integral part of a vegetarian dietary" and vegetarianism does not equate to only vegetable eating.Oldfield, Josiah. (1898). ''Vegetarian Still: A Reply to Sir Henry Thompson''. '' Nineteenth Century'' 44: 246-252.


Bibliography

The Royal College of Surgeons in 1852 awarded Thompson the Jacksonian Prize for an essay on the ''Pathology and Treatment of Stricture of the Urethra'' (on
stenosis Stenosis () is the abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure such as foramina and canals. It is also sometimes called a stricture (as in urethral stricture). ''Stricture'' as a term is usually used when narrowing ...
of the
urethra The urethra (: urethras or urethrae) is the tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus, through which Placentalia, placental mammals Urination, urinate and Ejaculation, ejaculate. The external urethral sphincter is a striated ...
, a common condition in the times of
gonorrhea Gonorrhoea or gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Gonorrhea is spread through sexual c ...
and other
sexually transmitted diseases A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, oral ...
); and again in 1860 for his essay on the ''Health and Morbid Anatomy of the
Prostate Gland The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...
''. These two memoirs belong to
urology Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...
, his medical speciality. Besides devising operative improvements, he wrote books and papers dealing with them, including: *''Practical Lithotomy and Lithotrity'', *''Tumours of the Bladder'', *''Suprapubic Lithotomy'', and *''Preventive Treatment of Calculus Disease'',
''Moderate Drinking''
1877.
''Food and Feeding''
1879.
''Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Urinary Organs''
1882.
''The Pathology and Treatment of Stricture of the Urethra and Urinary Fistulae''
1885. *
'Why Vegetarian?'
', 1898. *
'Why Vegetarian'?: A Reply to Critics
', 1898.
''Diet in Relation to Age & Activity''
1901.
''"The Unknown God?": An Essay''
1903 He produced two successful novels, ''Charley Kingston's Aunt'' (1885) and ''All But'' (1886).


Notes


Sources

* *


External links



highlights Sir Thompson's gifts of astronomical instruments. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Henry 1820 births 1904 deaths 19th-century British male writers 19th-century British medical doctors 19th-century British novelists Thompson, Henry, 1st Baronet British male novelists British non-fiction writers British surgeons British urologists Court physicians Diet food advocates Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Golders Green Crematorium People from Framlingham British male non-fiction writers