John Roberton (1797)
Encyclopedia
John Roberton was a Scottish
physician
and social reformer. He was a pioneer of modern obstetrics
and of evidence based medicine, and influential in the intellectual life of Victorian
Manchester
.
and Edinburgh
. He was admitted a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
in 1817. He intended to be a ship's surgeon, and was on his way to the West Indies when he was wrecked on the Lancashire coast. While at Liverpool
he was encouraged to take up his residence at Warrington
. He became a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries in 1822, and on 9 October 1823 married Mary (1794/5–1851), daughter of David Bellhouse
. The couple subsequently moved to Manchester. He soon had an extensive general practice, and, on his appointment in 1827 to the post of surgeon to the Manchester Lying-in Hospital, turned his special attention to midwifery
and to the physiology
and disease
s of women and children. He was also a lecturer at the Marsden Street School of Medicine. His first publication was Observations on the Mortality and Physical Management of Children (1827). From 1830 onwards he wrote a series of scientific papers for the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal on the time of onset of female puberty
in various countries, which led James Cowles Prichard
to alter some of the conclusions which he had arrived at in the earlier editions of his Physical History of Mankind. These, along with other similar papers, are reprinted in Roberton's most important work, Essays and Notes on the Physiology and Diseases of Women and on Practical Midwifery (London, 1851). He devoted much time to the subject of hospital construction and the provision of convalescent homes, on which he wrote a number of pamphlets between 1831 and 1861.
Roberton's advice was largely sought in the discipline in which he had specialised, obstetrics
, and he was aware of the broader social and medical context of his work. He helped much to extend the fame of the Manchester school of obstetrics founded by Charles White
and continued by John Hull
and Thomas Radford.
He was an active social reformer, interesting himself in all local and national movements for improving the condition of working people and active in the Manchester Statistical Society
. In religion
he was a puritan
and nonconformist, and the intimate friend of the popular preachers Robert Stephen McAll and Robert Halley
.
He died at his residence at New Mills
, Derbyshire
, where he had retired
on relinquishing his practice. His wealth at death was under £40,000 (under £2.9 million at 2003 prices).
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...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and social reformer. He was a pioneer of modern obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
and of evidence based medicine, and influential in the intellectual life of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Life
Roberton was born near Hamilton, Lanarkshire and educated for the medical profession at GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and 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...
. He was admitted a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
in 1817. He intended to be a ship's surgeon, and was on his way to the West Indies when he was wrecked on the Lancashire coast. While at Liverpool
Liverpool
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...
he was encouraged to take up his residence at Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
. He became a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries in 1822, and on 9 October 1823 married Mary (1794/5–1851), daughter of David Bellhouse
David Bellhouse
David Bellhouse was an English builder who did much to shape Victorian era Manchester, both physically and socially.Born in Leeds, Bellhouse received no formal education. An autodidact, he taught himself to read and write and the elements of arithmetic and technical drawing...
. The couple subsequently moved to Manchester. He soon had an extensive general practice, and, on his appointment in 1827 to the post of surgeon to the Manchester Lying-in Hospital, turned his special attention to midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
and to the physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s of women and children. He was also a lecturer at the Marsden Street School of Medicine. His first publication was Observations on the Mortality and Physical Management of Children (1827). From 1830 onwards he wrote a series of scientific papers for the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal on the time of onset of female puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
in various countries, which led James Cowles Prichard
James Cowles Prichard
James Cowles Prichard MD FRS was an English physician and ethnologist. His influential Researches into the physical history of mankind touched upon the subject of evolution...
to alter some of the conclusions which he had arrived at in the earlier editions of his Physical History of Mankind. These, along with other similar papers, are reprinted in Roberton's most important work, Essays and Notes on the Physiology and Diseases of Women and on Practical Midwifery (London, 1851). He devoted much time to the subject of hospital construction and the provision of convalescent homes, on which he wrote a number of pamphlets between 1831 and 1861.
Roberton's advice was largely sought in the discipline in which he had specialised, obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
, and he was aware of the broader social and medical context of his work. He helped much to extend the fame of the Manchester school of obstetrics founded by Charles White
Charles White (physician)
Charles White FRS was an English physician and a co-founder of the Manchester Royal Infirmary, along with local industrialist Joseph Bancroft...
and continued by John Hull
John Hull
John C. Hull is a Professor of Derivatives and Risk Management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.He is both a very well respected researcher in the academic field of quantitative finance , and also the author of two books on financial derivatives that have become...
and Thomas Radford.
He was an active social reformer, interesting himself in all local and national movements for improving the condition of working people and active in the Manchester Statistical Society
Manchester Statistical Society
Manchester Statistical Society is a learned society founded 1833 in Manchester, England. It claims to be "the first organisation in Britain to study social problems systematically and to collect statistics for social purposes" and in 1834 to be "the first organisation to carry out a house-to-house...
. In religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
he was a puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and nonconformist, and the intimate friend of the popular preachers Robert Stephen McAll and Robert Halley
Robert Halley
Robert Halley was an English Congregationalist minister and abolitionist. He was noted for his association with the politics of Repeal of the Corn Laws, and became Classical Tutor at Highbury College and Principal of New College, St John's Wood, London.-Early life :Robert Halley was born in...
.
He died at his residence at New Mills
New Mills
New Mills is a town in Derbyshire, England approximately south-east of Stockport and from Manchester. It is sited at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Sett, on the border of Cheshire. The town stands above the Torrs, a deep gorge, cut through Woodhead Hill Sandstone of the Carboniferous period...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, where he had retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
on relinquishing his practice. His wealth at death was under £40,000 (under £2.9 million at 2003 prices).
Works by Roberton
- [Anon., J. Roberton] (1851) On the Partition of Landed Property
- Fagg, J. [J. Roberton] (1853) Educational Voluntaryism an amiable Delusion
- Roberton, J. (1836) Critical Remarks on certain recently published Opinions concerning Life and Mind
- — (1839) Answer to Objections against Vaccination
- — (1840) On a Proposal to withhold Outdoor Relief from Widows with Families
- — (1845a) Report on the Amount and Causes of Death in Manchester
- — (1845b) On the Proper Regulation of Labourers engaged in the Construction and Working of Railways
- — (1850) On the Climate of Manchester
- — (1854) Improvement of Municipal Government
- — (1855) National Schools of Ireland
- — (1857) On certain Legalised Forms of Temptation as Causes of Crime
- — (1862a) Insalubrity of the Deep Cornish Mines
- — (1862b) On the Laws of Nature's Ventilation
- — (1865) 'The Duty of England to provide a Gratuitous Compulsory Education for the Children of the Poorer Classes
- Topping, G. [J. Roberton] (1854) Educational Voluntaryism an amiable Delusion