Charles Murchison (physician)
Encyclopedia
Charles Murchison was a British physician and a noted authority on fevers and diseases of the liver
.
on 26 July 1830. He was a younger son of Alexander Murchison, M.D., cousin of Sir Roderick Impey Murchison. When Murchison was three years old, the family returned to Scotland
and settled at Elgin
, where he received his first education. At the age of fifteen, he entered the University of Aberdeen
to study arts; two years later, he began studying medicine in the University of Edinburgh
. There he distinguished himself in a range of subjects, obtaining a large number of medals and prizes. He especially excelled in surgery, and in 1850 he passed the examination of the College of Surgeons of Edinburgh when little over twenty years of age. In the same year he became house surgeon to James Syme
. In 1851 he graduated M.D. with a dissertation on the "Structure of Tumours", based on his own experience, for which he obtained a gold medal. He then spent a short time as physician to the British embassy at Turin
, and, returning to Edinburgh
, was for a short time resident physician in the Royal Infirmary.
of the East India Company
on 17 January 1853. On reaching India he was almost immediately made professor of chemistry at the Medical College, Calcutta. Later on, he served with the expedition to Burma in 1854, and his experience there furnished the materials for two papers in the Edinburgh Medical Journal for January and April 1855 on the "Climate and Diseases of Burmah".
In October 1855, Murchison left the service and settled in London as a physician, commencing the long series of his medical appointments by becoming physician to the Westminster General Dispensary. Shortly afterwards he was connected with St. Mary's Hospital as lecturer on botany and as curator of the museum, of which he prepared in a remarkably short time an excellent catalogue. In 1856 he was appointed assistant physician to King's College Hospital
but had to resign in 1860. Murchison had no difficulty in obtaining a similar position (combined with that of lecturer on pathology) at the Middlesex Hospital
in the same year and, being promoted to the post of full physician in 1866, retained his connection with that hospital till 1871. He also acted as assistant physician to the London Fever Hospital
from 1856 and was promoted to be physician in 1861, an appointment which gave a definite bias to his medical researches. On his retirement in 1870, a testimonial was presented to him by public subscription.
In 1871, when St. Thomas's Hospital was being enlarged, Murchison accepted the posts of physician and lecturer on medicine, which he held till his death. In the autumn of 1873 he traced the origin of an epidemic of typhoid fever to a polluted milk supply, and the residents in West London presented him with a testimonial.
In 1866 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians
in 1855, was elected fellow in 1859, and gave the Croonian Lectures in 1873. In 1870 he received the honorary degree of LL.D from the University of Edinburgh
. In 1875 he was examiner in medicine to the University of London
. His only court appointment was that of physician to the Duke and Duchess of Connaught.
Murchison's own consulting practice was based at first on his special knowledge of fevers, but it extended to other branches of medicine.
surgeon. They had nine children.
In the morning of 23 April 1879, while seeing patients in his consulting room, he died suddenly of heart disease affecting the aortic valves. He had suffered from the ailment for nine years but had resolutely declined the advice of medical friends to retire from practice. He was buried in Norwood Cemetery. His wife, two sons and four daughters survived him.
In his memory, the Charles Murchison Scholarship in Clinical Medicine was established. It was awarded in alternate years in London by the Royal College of Physicians
, and in Edinburgh by the university
. A marble portrait bust was also placed in St. Thomas's Hospital.
in 1867, and a French translation of one part by Lutaud in Paris in 1878. This work became at once a standard authority. He treated the same subject in the Annual Reports of the London Fever Hospital (1861–9) and in medical journals.
Another subject to which he gave special attention was that of diseases of the liver. After translating Frerichs
's work on that subject for the New Sydenham Society in 1861, he published Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Liver, Jaundice, and Abdominal Dropsy (1868). In 1874 he took as the subject of his Croonian Lectures at the Royal College of Physicians
"Functional Derangements of the Liver"; a French translation by Jules Cyr appeared in Paris in 1878.
His regard for the memory of his friend, Dr. Hugh Falconer
, induced him to take great pains in bringing out the latter's Palæontological Memoirs in 1868; geology was a favourite pursuit with Murchision.
Murchison took an active part in scientific societies, more especially the Pathological Society of London
, of which he became a member in 1855, was secretary 1865–8, treasurer 1869–76, and president 1877–81. To the Transactions of the society he contributed in all 143 papers and reports, some of them of considerable importance. He was also a member of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, the Clinical Society of London, and the London Epidemiological Society, and contributed, though less frequently, to their transactions.
Murchison also contributed to the Edinburgh Medical Journal, the British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review, Beale's Archives of Medicine, St. Thomas's Hospital Reports, the British Medical Journal
, and other medical papers. The total number of his published works, memoirs, lectures, and so on, was, according to a list in his own handwriting, 311.
Liver disease
Liver disease is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver.-Diseases:* Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons , autoimmunity or hereditary conditions...
.
Early life
Murchison was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
on 26 July 1830. He was a younger son of Alexander Murchison, M.D., cousin of Sir Roderick Impey Murchison. When Murchison was three years old, the family returned to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and settled at Elgin
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
, where he received his first education. At the age of fifteen, he entered the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
to study arts; two years later, he began studying medicine in the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. There he distinguished himself in a range of subjects, obtaining a large number of medals and prizes. He especially excelled in surgery, and in 1850 he passed the examination of the College of Surgeons of Edinburgh when little over twenty years of age. In the same year he became house surgeon to James Syme
James Syme
James Syme was a pioneering Scottish surgeon.-Early life:He was born on 7 November in Edinburgh. His father was a writer to the signet and a landowner in Fife and Kinross, who lost most of his fortune in attempting to develop the mineral resources of his property...
. In 1851 he graduated M.D. with a dissertation on the "Structure of Tumours", based on his own experience, for which he obtained a gold medal. He then spent a short time as physician to the British embassy at Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, and, returning to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, was for a short time resident physician in the Royal Infirmary.
Career
After further study in Dublin and Paris, Murchison entered the Bengal ArmyBengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
on 17 January 1853. On reaching India he was almost immediately made professor of chemistry at the Medical College, Calcutta. Later on, he served with the expedition to Burma in 1854, and his experience there furnished the materials for two papers in the Edinburgh Medical Journal for January and April 1855 on the "Climate and Diseases of Burmah".
In October 1855, Murchison left the service and settled in London as a physician, commencing the long series of his medical appointments by becoming physician to the Westminster General Dispensary. Shortly afterwards he was connected with St. Mary's Hospital as lecturer on botany and as curator of the museum, of which he prepared in a remarkably short time an excellent catalogue. In 1856 he was appointed assistant physician to King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
but had to resign in 1860. Murchison had no difficulty in obtaining a similar position (combined with that of lecturer on pathology) at the Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
in the same year and, being promoted to the post of full physician in 1866, retained his connection with that hospital till 1871. He also acted as assistant physician to the London Fever Hospital
London Fever Hospital
The London Fever Hospital was a voluntary hospital founded in 1802 in London. Originally established in Gray's Inn Road, it moved to Liverpool Road, Islington in 1848. In 1948, the hospital was amalgamated with the Royal Free Hospital.-References:...
from 1856 and was promoted to be physician in 1861, an appointment which gave a definite bias to his medical researches. On his retirement in 1870, a testimonial was presented to him by public subscription.
In 1871, when St. Thomas's Hospital was being enlarged, Murchison accepted the posts of physician and lecturer on medicine, which he held till his death. In the autumn of 1873 he traced the origin of an epidemic of typhoid fever to a polluted milk supply, and the residents in West London presented him with a testimonial.
In 1866 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1855, was elected fellow in 1859, and gave the Croonian Lectures in 1873. In 1870 he received the honorary degree of LL.D from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1875 he was examiner in medicine to the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. His only court appointment was that of physician to the Duke and Duchess of Connaught.
Murchison's own consulting practice was based at first on his special knowledge of fevers, but it extended to other branches of medicine.
Family life and legacy
In July 1859 Murchison married Clara Elizabeth, third daughter of Robert Bickersteth, a LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
surgeon. They had nine children.
In the morning of 23 April 1879, while seeing patients in his consulting room, he died suddenly of heart disease affecting the aortic valves. He had suffered from the ailment for nine years but had resolutely declined the advice of medical friends to retire from practice. He was buried in Norwood Cemetery. His wife, two sons and four daughters survived him.
In his memory, the Charles Murchison Scholarship in Clinical Medicine was established. It was awarded in alternate years in London by the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
, and in Edinburgh by the university
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. A marble portrait bust was also placed in St. Thomas's Hospital.
Published works
Murchison's most important contribution to medical science was "A Treatise on the Continued Fevers of Great Britain" (1862). A German translation by W. Zuelzer was published in BrunswickBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
in 1867, and a French translation of one part by Lutaud in Paris in 1878. This work became at once a standard authority. He treated the same subject in the Annual Reports of the London Fever Hospital (1861–9) and in medical journals.
Another subject to which he gave special attention was that of diseases of the liver. After translating Frerichs
Friedrich Theodor von Frerichs
Friedrich Theodor von Frerichs was a German pathologist who was born in Aurich. After earning his medical degree from the University of Göttingen in 1841, he returned to Aurich and spent the next four years there as an optician...
's work on that subject for the New Sydenham Society in 1861, he published Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Liver, Jaundice, and Abdominal Dropsy (1868). In 1874 he took as the subject of his Croonian Lectures at the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
"Functional Derangements of the Liver"; a French translation by Jules Cyr appeared in Paris in 1878.
His regard for the memory of his friend, Dr. Hugh Falconer
Hugh Falconer
Hugh Falconer MD FRS was a Scottish geologist, botanist, palaeontologist and paleoanthropologist. He studied the flora, fauna and geology of India, Assam and Burma, and was the first to suggest the modern evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium...
, induced him to take great pains in bringing out the latter's Palæontological Memoirs in 1868; geology was a favourite pursuit with Murchision.
Murchison took an active part in scientific societies, more especially the Pathological Society of London
Pathological Society of London
The Pathological Society of London was founded in 1846 for the "cultivation and promotion of Pathology by the exhibition and description of specimens, drawings, microscopic preparations, casts or models of morbid parts." Its first meeting was held in February 1847...
, of which he became a member in 1855, was secretary 1865–8, treasurer 1869–76, and president 1877–81. To the Transactions of the society he contributed in all 143 papers and reports, some of them of considerable importance. He was also a member of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, the Clinical Society of London, and the London Epidemiological Society, and contributed, though less frequently, to their transactions.
Murchison also contributed to the Edinburgh Medical Journal, the British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review, Beale's Archives of Medicine, St. Thomas's Hospital Reports, the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
, and other medical papers. The total number of his published works, memoirs, lectures, and so on, was, according to a list in his own handwriting, 311.