Sir Rickman Godlee, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Rickman John Godlee, 1st Baronet (15 February 1849 to 18 April 1925), was an English surgeon
. In 1884 he became one of the first to remove a tumour of the brain
surgically.
, Essex
to a Quaker family, the second son of Rickman Godlee (1804–1871), a barrister at Middle Temple
, and Mary Godlee (née Lister), daughter of Joseph Jackson Lister
. He was thus a nephew of Joseph Lister
— whose biography he later wrote.
He was educated at a school in Tottenham
and took his B.A.
at the University of London
before he began his medical education.
An expert draughtsman, and whilst still at the University of London, he was employed to make the original plates for Quain’s Anatomy
— which in 1920 he presented to the Royal College of Surgeons of England
.
After a periods as house surgeon then house physician at University College Hospital
, London, he moved to Edinburgh to practise the new surgical techniques being developed there by his uncle, Joseph Lister. On his return to London he was appointed assistant surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital
, and to a similar position at the North Eastern Hospital for Children. After a period as assistant surgeon at University College Hospital, he became surgeon at Brompton Hospital, London, where he made advances in surgery of the chest.
At the Epileptic Hospital, Regent’s Park in 1884 he became one of the first to remove a tumour of the brain
surgically.
In 1885 he was appointed surgeon at University College Hospital
, and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Surgery there in 1892. He was President of the Royal College of Surgeons
in 1911, 1912 & 1913.
He was Surgeon to the Household of Queen Victoria and Surgeon Ordinary to Edward VII and to George V
.
He was created a baronet
in 1912 and gazetted KCVO in 1914.
, Berkshire
, where he died at the age of 76 on 18 April 1925.
Rickman Godlee was a remarkable man. His Quaker upbringing and ancestry left their marks upon him. Scrupulously honest in thought and conscientious in detail, he took nothing for granted that he had not himself investigated. Quiet in manner, reserved in character, and rather sarcastic, he was apt to be under-estimated in early life by those who only knew him superficially. His sterling worth came to be recognised later, and he showed himself a firm but dignified and courteous ruler during his term of office as President of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was not only a good surgeon and a fine artist, but he was a linguist, a carpenter
, a poet
, a botanist, an ornithologist, and an oarsman, while his great knowledge of books made him an admirable honorary librarian at the Royal Medico-Chirurgical Society of Medicine. … Lister’s Life could only have been written by Godlee, whose veneration for his uncle was unbounded. He alone knew the minute details of his life and practice, for as a young man he was usually left in charge of the patients on whom Lister had operated in private. With access to his papers and letters, and from personal recollections, he could remember the simple life led by members of the Society of Friends, which is so charming a feature of his Life of Lord Lister.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
. In 1884 he became one of the first to remove a tumour of the brain
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
surgically.
Early life
Godlee was born at UptonWest Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
to a Quaker family, the second son of Rickman Godlee (1804–1871), a barrister at Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, and Mary Godlee (née Lister), daughter of Joseph Jackson Lister
Joseph Jackson Lister
Joseph Jackson Lister, FRS was an amateur British opticist and physicist and the father of Joseph Lister.-Ancestry:...
. He was thus a nephew of Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
— whose biography he later wrote.
He was educated at a school in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
and took his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
before he began his medical education.
An expert draughtsman, and whilst still at the University of London, he was employed to make the original plates for Quain’s Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
— which in 1920 he presented to the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
.
Medical career
He was admitted a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1872, and four years later was elected to the fellowship — having in the meantime won gold medal at both his Bachelor and Master of Surgery examinations at the University of London.After a periods as house surgeon then house physician at University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
, London, he moved to Edinburgh to practise the new surgical techniques being developed there by his uncle, Joseph Lister. On his return to London he was appointed assistant surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, and to a similar position at the North Eastern Hospital for Children. After a period as assistant surgeon at University College Hospital, he became surgeon at Brompton Hospital, London, where he made advances in surgery of the chest.
At the Epileptic Hospital, Regent’s Park in 1884 he became one of the first to remove a tumour of the brain
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
surgically.
In 1885 he was appointed surgeon at University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
, and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Surgery there in 1892. He was President of the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1911, 1912 & 1913.
He was Surgeon to the Household of Queen Victoria and Surgeon Ordinary to Edward VII and to George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
He was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1912 and gazetted KCVO in 1914.
Family life
He married Juliet Mary Seebohm, a daughter of Frederic Seebohm, in 1891. After his retirement in 1920 they moved from London to Coombe End, Whitchurch-on-ThamesWhitchurch-on-Thames
Whitchurch-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the Oxfordshire bank of the River Thames, about northwest of Reading, Berkshire. Opposite Whitchurch on the Berkshire bank is the village of Pangbourne.-History:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, where he died at the age of 76 on 18 April 1925.
A tribute in The Times
The author of his obituary in The Times wrote:Rickman Godlee was a remarkable man. His Quaker upbringing and ancestry left their marks upon him. Scrupulously honest in thought and conscientious in detail, he took nothing for granted that he had not himself investigated. Quiet in manner, reserved in character, and rather sarcastic, he was apt to be under-estimated in early life by those who only knew him superficially. His sterling worth came to be recognised later, and he showed himself a firm but dignified and courteous ruler during his term of office as President of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was not only a good surgeon and a fine artist, but he was a linguist, a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, a botanist, an ornithologist, and an oarsman, while his great knowledge of books made him an admirable honorary librarian at the Royal Medico-Chirurgical Society of Medicine. … Lister’s Life could only have been written by Godlee, whose veneration for his uncle was unbounded. He alone knew the minute details of his life and practice, for as a young man he was usually left in charge of the patients on whom Lister had operated in private. With access to his papers and letters, and from personal recollections, he could remember the simple life led by members of the Society of Friends, which is so charming a feature of his Life of Lord Lister.
Publications
- ‘The Past Present and Future of the School for Advanced Medical Studies of University College London’, John Bale Sons and Danielsson, London, 1907
- 'Lord Lister', Macmillan & Co, London, 1917
- ‘A Village on the Thames: Whitchurch, Yesterday and To-day’, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1926