William Pulteney Alison
Encyclopedia
William Pulteney Alison FRSE FRCPE FSA (Scot) (1790-1859) was a Scottish physician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was a distinguished professor of medicine at Edinburgh University. He served as president of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh (1833), president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
(1836-8), and vice-president of the British Medical Association
, convening its meeting in Edinburgh in 1858.
. In his youth he climbed Mont Blanc
and other mountains as a pastime and in 1811 he graduated as a physician from Edinburgh University. He studied under his father's friend Dugald Stewart
, and for a time he was expected to follow a career in philosophy rather than medicine.
His uncle was Professor James Gregory and his cousin was Professor William Gregory.
Alison proposed using the Scottish Poor Law
to alleviate poverty as a means of assuaging disease, but the Poor Law Commissioners supported the position of English reformer Edwin Chadwick
that disease was caused by filth and miasmas. Alison held to the contagion theory of disease, stating its spread was facilitated through poverty and overcrowding. He argued that poverty arose from social factors, not sin and sloth, and that higher wages should be paid to workers to mitigate disease by reducing the effect of overcrowding and destitution. In stating a case for fighting disease that appeared to be outside the province of contemporary medicine Alison was a pioneer of “political” medicine, as well as social epidemiology and public health.
In his 1840 publication Observations on the management of the poor in Scotland and its effect on the health in the great towns, Alison argued that the government and its agencies had a major role in the alleviation of poverty and that this undertaking should not be left to religious groups or private charities. He advocated using public taxes to assist widows, orphans and the unemployed poor, and criticised the establishment for ignoring those who were fit but impoverished. The findings of the 1844 Royal Commission on Poor Laws (Scotland) lent support to Alison’s viewpoint.
Alison promoted preventive social medicine and initiated a program to vaccinate children against smallpox, and he established Edinburgh’s Fever Board to combat epidemics. He advocated speedy diagnosis of the ill and, where found to be contagious or infectious, he recommended fumigation and ventilation of the residence and prompt hospitalisation for the patient. His methods bore fruit during the cholera epidemic of 1831-1832, whereby Edinburgh took immediate and effective action to mitigate the outbreak without awaiting instructions from London.
In strongly advocating government intervention to alleviate poverty as a means to combat disease Alison was ahead of his time but he lived to see public opinion move closer to his initiatives.
in 1832; the marriage was childless.
Attacks of epilepsy
forced him to retire in 1856, and he died at Colinton
on 22 September, 1859. He was interred at St John's Episcopal Cemetery in Edinburgh.
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
(1836-8), and vice-president of the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
, convening its meeting in Edinburgh in 1858.
Early life
Alison was the eldest son of the Rev Archibald Alison and Dorothea Gregory; the elder brother of the advocate Archibald Alison; and godson of Laura Pulteney, 1st Countess of BathLaura Pulteney, 1st Countess of Bath
Laura Pulteney, 1st Countess of Bath was a British peeress and heiress.-Early life:...
. In his youth he climbed Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
and other mountains as a pastime and in 1811 he graduated as a physician from Edinburgh University. He studied under his father's friend Dugald Stewart
Dugald Stewart
Dugald Stewart was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher and mathematician. His father, Matthew Stewart , was professor of mathematics in the University of Edinburgh .-Life and works:...
, and for a time he was expected to follow a career in philosophy rather than medicine.
His uncle was Professor James Gregory and his cousin was Professor William Gregory.
Ameliorating the lot of the poor
Struck by the poverty he encountered Alison advocated poor relief in Scotland be extended from the sick and infirm to include the healthy impoverished. This was a radical suggestion as the ethos of the age was for poor relief to be withheld from the able-bodied destitute who were presumed to be indolent and sinful.Alison proposed using the Scottish Poor Law
Scottish Poor Law
The Scottish Poor Laws were the statutes concerning poor relief passed in Scotland between 1579 and 1929. Scotland had a different Poor Law system to England and the workings of the Scottish laws differed greatly to the Poor Law Amendment Act which applied in England and Wales.In 1579, the Scottish...
to alleviate poverty as a means of assuaging disease, but the Poor Law Commissioners supported the position of English reformer Edwin Chadwick
Edwin Chadwick
Sir Edwin Chadwick KCB was an English social reformer, noted for his work to reform the Poor Laws and improve sanitary conditions and public health...
that disease was caused by filth and miasmas. Alison held to the contagion theory of disease, stating its spread was facilitated through poverty and overcrowding. He argued that poverty arose from social factors, not sin and sloth, and that higher wages should be paid to workers to mitigate disease by reducing the effect of overcrowding and destitution. In stating a case for fighting disease that appeared to be outside the province of contemporary medicine Alison was a pioneer of “political” medicine, as well as social epidemiology and public health.
In his 1840 publication Observations on the management of the poor in Scotland and its effect on the health in the great towns, Alison argued that the government and its agencies had a major role in the alleviation of poverty and that this undertaking should not be left to religious groups or private charities. He advocated using public taxes to assist widows, orphans and the unemployed poor, and criticised the establishment for ignoring those who were fit but impoverished. The findings of the 1844 Royal Commission on Poor Laws (Scotland) lent support to Alison’s viewpoint.
Alison promoted preventive social medicine and initiated a program to vaccinate children against smallpox, and he established Edinburgh’s Fever Board to combat epidemics. He advocated speedy diagnosis of the ill and, where found to be contagious or infectious, he recommended fumigation and ventilation of the residence and prompt hospitalisation for the patient. His methods bore fruit during the cholera epidemic of 1831-1832, whereby Edinburgh took immediate and effective action to mitigate the outbreak without awaiting instructions from London.
In strongly advocating government intervention to alleviate poverty as a means to combat disease Alison was ahead of his time but he lived to see public opinion move closer to his initiatives.
Personal life
He married his first cousin Margaret Craufurd/Crawford Gregory (1809–1849), daughter of James GregoryJames Gregory (physician)
James Gregory FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish physician and classicist.-Early life and education:He was the eldest son of John Gregory and Elizabeth Forbes , and was born in Aberdeen...
in 1832; the marriage was childless.
Attacks of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
forced him to retire in 1856, and he died at Colinton
Colinton
Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 6 kilometres south west of the city centre. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-west it extends to Lanark Road and to the south-west to the City Bypass...
on 22 September, 1859. He was interred at St John's Episcopal Cemetery in Edinburgh.
External links
- Clarke, N., Dorothea Alison (née Gregory) (1754-1830), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004 (Subscription required)
- Jacyna, L.S., William Pulteney Alison (1790–1859), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004 (Subscription required)