Subject

Eminent obstetrician and physician extraordinary to Queen Victoria. Born Charterhouse Square. As a friend of Baron Rothschild and obstetrician to his wife, helped him set up the Evelina Children's Hospital for poor children in the deprived area of Southwark. As Chairman of the management board he ran the the Hospital for six years.

He also did his best to prevent the advancement of women in the medical field. For 24 years he was an examiner in midwifery to the Royal College of Surgeons but in 1875 he and the entire Board of Examiners resigned in protest at women being allowed to take the midwifery examination.   The examiners objected on the grounds that the women had no medical qualifications, apparently missing the irony that midwifery was one of the very few examinations that women were (theoretically) allowed to take. This changed in 1874 when the law was altered to allow (but did not compel) medical examination boards to treat women the same as men. Dr Farre was not a shining light of progress. Born and died in London.