Person    | Male  Born 1744  Died 1815

Dr John Lettsom

Categories: Medicine, Philanthropy, Race Issues

Countries: Virgin Islands

Physician, philanthropist, abolitionist and entomologist. Born British Virgin Islands into a Quaker family. Aged 6 was sent to England to be educated. Came to London in 1766 to train at St Thomas' Hospital. Founder of the Medical Society of London of which he was president on and off, 1775 - 1815.

He signed his prescriptions “I” which prompted this rhyme (of which there are some variant versions):

When patients ill, they comes to I,
I physicks, bleeds and sweats ‘em:
Sometimes they live, sometimes they die,
What’s that to I? I Lettsom.

A noted abolitionist, on the death of his father he returned to the Virgin Islands where he freed the slaves he had inherited. But later, his son, through a wealthy marriage back in the Virgin Islands, brought slaves back into the family and Lettsom inherited them shortly before he died. Thus he died with 1,000 slaves in his estate. He had some explaining to do at the pearly gates.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Dr John Lettsom

Commemorated ati

Dr John Lettsom's house

{On a modern information plaque at the foot of this edifice:} Stonework from...

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Medical Society and Lettsom

Site of the Medical Society of London 1787 - 1850 gifted by a founder, John C...

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C. Alan Palmer

C. Alan Palmer

Corps Officer in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1887-1895, 1915-1921. Serving Brother in the Order of St John.

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Broderick Dewhurst

Broderick Dewhurst

Clinical nurse manager. Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this man: Broderick Arthur Dewhurst was born on 21 March 1955 in Blackburn, Lancashire, the son of Albert Dewhurst and ...

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Endell Street Military Hospital

Endell Street Military Hospital

Established in the disused St Giles workhouse buildings during WW1 under the command of Dr Flora Murray & Dr Louisa Garrett Anderson (both suffragettes), this 573-bed hospital is the only Briti...

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N. Burton

N. Burton

District Staff Officer in the St John Ambulance Brigade, No. 1 District Metropolitan Corps, 1908-1954. Officer in the Order of St John.

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Finsen light cure

Finsen light cure

The Faroese/Icelandic physician, Niels Ryberg Finsen, (1860 - 1904) won a Nobel Prize for inventing this while working in Denmark.  After a time it was found to be dangerous rather than healing.

Concept, Medicine, Denmark, Iceland / Faroe Islands

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Frederick Horniman

SE23, London Road, 100, The Horniman Museum

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John Horace Holt
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1 memorial
Charles Eamer Kempe

Charles Eamer Kempe

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Broderip Ward

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1 memorial