Life

The son of Robert Southey by his wife, Margaret Hill, and younger brother of Robert Southey

Robert Southey

Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...

, the poet, he was born at Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 in 1783. After education at private schools in and near Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

, his brother Robert proposed to establish him in his house in London in order that he might study anatomy under Sir Anthony Carlisle at Westminster Hospital

Westminster Hospital

Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded....

. The project fell through, and Henry studied surgery at Norwich under Philip Meadows Martineau (d. 1828), uncle of Harriet Martineau

Harriet Martineau

Harriet Martineau was an English social theorist and Whig writer, often cited as the first female sociologist....

. There he met William Taylor of Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

, who interested him in other studies.

In November 1803 he entered 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...

, where Sir William Knighton and Dr. Robert Gooch

Robert Gooch

-Life:Born at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, 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...

 were his fellow students and friends. He had acquired facility in colloquial Latin, and used to talk it with his friends. He graduated M.D. on 24 June 1806, reading a dissertation ‘De ortu et progressu syphilidis’ (Edinburgh, 1806), in which he maintained the American origin of syphilis

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...

. He then studied for a winter in London, and settled in the following year at Durham

Durham

Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...

; but moved back to London by the advice of Sir William Knighton in 1812.

He became a licentiate 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...

 on 22 December 1812, and was elected a fellow on 25 June 1823. On 25 April 1825 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He delivered the Harveian oration

Harveian Oration

The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feast on St...

 in 1847, was elected physician to 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...

 on 17 August 1815 and held office till April 1827. He was appointed physician in ordinary

In ordinary

In ordinary as a phrase has two technical meanings recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary:# In relation particularly to the staff of the British royal household, and more generally to those employed by the Crown, it is used as a suffix showing that the appointment is to the regular staff, for...

 to George IV in 1823, in 1830 physician extraordinary to Queen Adelaide

Queen Adelaide

-People:*Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy, , Holy Roman Empress*Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen , consort of William IV of the United Kingdom*Adelaide of Paris -Places:...

, and in 1833 lord chancellor's visitor in lunacy. He became a commissioner in lunacy in September 1836, and was Gresham Professor of Medicine from 1834 to 1865.

On 16 June 1847 he was created hon. D.C.L. at Oxford. He lived in Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square

Cavendish Square

Cavendish Square is a public square in the West End of London, very close to Oxford Circus, where the two main shopping thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street meet. It is located at the eastern end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Portman Square, part of the Portman Estate, to its...

. He died on 13 June 1865, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....

. His wife Louisa died in January 1830, leaving seven young children; among them was Reginald Southey

Reginald Southey

Reginald Southey was an English physician. Southey's cannula, or Southey's tube, is a well-known medical instrument.-Life:...

.

Works

Southey published in 1814 ‘Observations on Pulmonary Consumption’ (London). He also wrote the life of Gooch in the ‘Lives of British Physicians,’ published in 1830 (see William Macmichael

William Macmichael

William Macmichael was a physician and medical biographer, remembered as the author of The Gold-Headed Cane .-Life and career:...

), and made contributions to periodical publications.

External links

• Biography

Attribution