James Young Simpson
| Sir James Young Simpson, Bt | |
|---|---|
James Simpson
|
|
| Born | 7 June 1811 Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, UK |
| Died | 6 May 1870 (aged 58) Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Medical School |
| Known for | Use of chloroform as anaesthetic |
Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. Simpson was first to demonstrate the anaesthetic properties of chloroform on humans and helped to popularise the drug for use in medicine.
Simpson completed his final examination at the age of 18 but, as he was so young, had to wait two years before he got his licence to practise medicine. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1832 and as a student became a member and then Senior President of the Royal Medical Society, initiating a lifelong interest in the Society's advancement. In 1838 he designed the Air Tractor, the earliest known vacuum extractor to assist childbirth but the method did not become popular until the invention of the ventouse over a century later.
At the age of 28 he succeeded Prof James Hamilton as Professor of Medicine and Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He improved the design of obstetric forceps that to this day are known in obstetric circles as "Simpson's Forceps". His most noted contribution was the introduction of anaesthesia to childbirth.
Simpson's intellectual interests ranged from archaeology to an almost taboo subject at the time: hermaphroditism. He was a very early advocate of the use of midwives in the hospital environment. Many prominent women also consulted him for their gynaecological problems. Simpson wrote Homœopathy, its Tenets and Tendencies refuting the ideas put forward by Hahnemann.
It was his achievements and wide ranging interests that led to his town house at 52 Queen Street, Edinburgh being a gathering point for many members of society, especially intellectuals. His impish sense of humour got the better of him on at least one of these occasions when he seated a Southern US slave owner next to a freed slave at the dinner table. Since this town house was fairly busy at times, Simpson preferred to keep his wife and children at their country house near Bathgate. In religion Simpson was a devout adherent of the Free Church of Scotland, but he refused to sign the Westminster Confession of Faith, because of what he believed to be its literal interpretation of the book of Genesis.
...
Wikipedia