Edward Cronin
Encyclopedia
Edward Cronin was a pioneer of homeopathy
in England and one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren
movement.
at the Meath Hospital
, and later utilised his medical ability on Anthony Norris Groves
' pioneering mission to Baghdad
- after the death of his wife in 1829, Cronin went with Groves to administer medical support including dealing with an outbreak of plague. While in Persia and later India, he also dealt with cholera
and typhus
using homeopathic principles.
Cronin returned to England in 1836, where, as a medical practitioner, he became an early adopter of homeopathy in the UK - Cronin is estimated to be the fifth such practitioner to introduce homeopathy. He was a member of the English Homeopathic Association
, and in 1858 he became the last man to become a Lambeth MD
before the Medical Act 1858
abolished this particular qualification. Cronin remarried and settled in Brixton
where he lived until his death in 1882.
Cronin's eldest son Eugene also took up homeopathic practice, and another of his sons became honorary dentist to the London Homeopathic Hospital
churches in the area but was only admitted as a visitor. He began meeting with other Christians including Anthony Norris Groves
, John Gifford Bellet
and John Nelson Darby
, whose conviction that the ordination of clergy was unnecessary and unscriptural, as well as his dispensationalist
and premillenialist theology which later became principle tenets of the Plymouth Brethren movement.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
in England and one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
movement.
Life
Cronin was born in 1801 in Cork, Ireland before moving to Dublin for health reasons in about 1826. In Dublin he studied medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the Meath Hospital
Meath Hospital
The Meath Hospital in Dublin, Ireland was founded in 1753. Situated in the Earl of Meath's Liberty, the hospital was opened to serve the sick and poor in the crowded area of the Liberties in Dublin....
, and later utilised his medical ability on Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves has been described as the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth...
' pioneering mission to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
- after the death of his wife in 1829, Cronin went with Groves to administer medical support including dealing with an outbreak of plague. While in Persia and later India, he also dealt with cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
and typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
using homeopathic principles.
Cronin returned to England in 1836, where, as a medical practitioner, he became an early adopter of homeopathy in the UK - Cronin is estimated to be the fifth such practitioner to introduce homeopathy. He was a member of the English Homeopathic Association
British Homeopathic Association
British Homeopathic Association is a charity founded in 1902 to promote homeopathy, and advocate for its training and research. The BHA seeks to encourage the use of homeopathy within general and specialist healthcare, and provides a listing of homeopathic practitioners...
, and in 1858 he became the last man to become a Lambeth MD
Lambeth degree
A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England...
before the Medical Act 1858
Medical Act 1858
The Medical Act 1858 was a British Act of Parliament which created the General Medical Council to regulate doctors in the UK.Describing its purpose, the act notes that "it is expedient that Persons requiring Medical Aid should be enabled to distinguish qualified from unqualified Practitioners".The...
abolished this particular qualification. Cronin remarried and settled in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
where he lived until his death in 1882.
Cronin's eldest son Eugene also took up homeopathic practice, and another of his sons became honorary dentist to the London Homeopathic Hospital
Faith
Originally a Roman Catholic, when Cronin moved to Dublin he sought membership with various dissentingDissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
churches in the area but was only admitted as a visitor. He began meeting with other Christians including Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves has been described as the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth...
, John Gifford Bellet
John Gifford Bellet
John Gifford Bellett was an Irish Christian writer and theologian, and was influential in the beginning of the Plymouth Brethren movement.-Life:Bellett was born in Dublin, Ireland...
and John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
, whose conviction that the ordination of clergy was unnecessary and unscriptural, as well as his dispensationalist
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
and premillenialist theology which later became principle tenets of the Plymouth Brethren movement.