Thomas Masterman Winterbottom
Encyclopedia
Dr. Thomas Masterman Winterbottom (26 March 1766, South Shields
– 8 July 1859) was an English
physician
, philanthropist
and abolitionist
remembered for describing African trypanosomiasis and the associated Winterbottom's sign
.
and then the University of Glasgow
. He was appointed physician to the colony of the Sierra Leone Company
in 1792, spending 4 years in Africa. He returned to South Shields in 1796 to take over his father's practice. He wrote an account of his time in Africa which was published in 1803, and which contains the description of African trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness), for which he is known. He noted that slave traders used the sign of neck swelling as an indicator of sleepiness, and would avoid those slaves; this sign of cervical lymphadenopathy became his eponymous sign.
He married in 1803, and settled in Westoe
. He ran his general practice for 30 years, and published several medical books and papers. He retained his interest in medicine until his death at the age of 93, at the time the oldest doctor in Britain.
His wife had died in 1840, and he had no children, so his considerable estate was left to a number of charities which he had supported during his life. The bulk of this bequest was to found the South Shields Marine College, which he had established in 1837. His friends, including Robert Ingham MP
and Richard Shortridge MP, ensured that the college opened on 26 March 1866, on the centenary of Winterbottom's birth. The college later became South Tyneside College
.
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
– 8 July 1859) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
remembered for describing African trypanosomiasis and the associated Winterbottom's sign
Winterbottom's sign
Winterbottom's sign is seen in the early phase of African trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by the parasites Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which is more commonly known as African sleeping sickness...
.
Biography
Thomas Winterbottom was the eldest son of Dr. James Winterbottom and Lydia née Masterman, and was educated by the local Curate. He studied medicine at the University of EdinburghUniversity 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...
and then the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He was appointed physician to the colony of the Sierra Leone Company
Sierra Leone Company
The Sierra Leone Company was the corporate body involved in founding the second British colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement of black American ex-slaves who had initially been settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War...
in 1792, spending 4 years in Africa. He returned to South Shields in 1796 to take over his father's practice. He wrote an account of his time in Africa which was published in 1803, and which contains the description of African trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness), for which he is known. He noted that slave traders used the sign of neck swelling as an indicator of sleepiness, and would avoid those slaves; this sign of cervical lymphadenopathy became his eponymous sign.
He married in 1803, and settled in Westoe
Westoe
Westoe is a suburb of South Shields, Tyne & Wear, United Kingdom.- History :Westoe was originally a village a mile south of South Shields, and was gradually absorbed into the urban sprawl extending from the centre of Shields at the end of the niineteenth century.In contemporary usage the term...
. He ran his general practice for 30 years, and published several medical books and papers. He retained his interest in medicine until his death at the age of 93, at the time the oldest doctor in Britain.
His wife had died in 1840, and he had no children, so his considerable estate was left to a number of charities which he had supported during his life. The bulk of this bequest was to found the South Shields Marine College, which he had established in 1837. His friends, including Robert Ingham MP
Robert Ingham
Robert Ingham was a British barrister and politician.The fourth son of the surgeon William Ingham and his wife Jane Walker, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Ingham was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford. He graduated with a B.A. in 1815 and an M.A...
and Richard Shortridge MP, ensured that the college opened on 26 March 1866, on the centenary of Winterbottom's birth. The college later became South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College is a large further education college in South Tyneside in North East England, with its main sites in the towns of South Shields and Hebburn. The college offers part-time and full-time courses for both young students and adults alike...
.