William Guyer Hunter
Encyclopedia
Sir William Guyer Hunter FRCP (1829 - 14 Mar 1902) was a surgeon-general in India, principal of medical colleges and Conservative
politician.
Hunter was born at Calcutta and began his training at Charing Cross Hospital
in 1844 at the same time as Thomas Henry Huxley and Joseph Fayrer
. He went to India and became Principal of Grant Medical College
in 1866, a post he held for ten years. He was also Vice Chancellor of Bombay University. He returned to London and was a member of the Royal Commission on Vaccination which was initiated in 1879 and sat for seven years. Hunter was surgeon to the Queen in 1881. In 1883 there was an outbreak of cholera
in Egypt
which had fallen under British jurisdiction in the previous year. There was an international dispute as to whether the disease was brought from Calcutta and hence should be dealt with by quarantine
or whether it was indigenous. Hunter was sent as a medical commissioner and concluded "Facts…lead to the conclusion that cholera, be it called by whatever name it may…has existed in Egypt for some time past…In order to obtain as much information as possible on the subject above referred to, instructions have been issued to the medical officers recently arrived from England to institute cautious and careful inquiry".
In the 1885 general election
, Hunter was elected MP
for Hackney Central
and held the seat until the 1892 general election
.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Hunter was born at Calcutta and began his training 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....
in 1844 at the same time as Thomas Henry Huxley and Joseph Fayrer
Joseph Fayrer
Sir Joseph Fayrer, 1st Baronet was an English physician noted for his writings on medicine in India.The son of a Commander in the Royal Navy, he was born at Plymouth, Devon. After studying medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, London, he was in 1847 appointed medical officer of HMS Victory...
. He went to India and became Principal of Grant Medical College
Grant Medical College and Sir Jamshedjee Jeejebhoy Group of Hospitals
The Grant Medical College, Mumbai is a medical school affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik. Founded in 1845, it is one of the premier medical institutions in India and is one of the oldest institutions teaching Western medicine in Asia.The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy...
in 1866, a post he held for ten years. He was also Vice Chancellor of Bombay University. He returned to London and was a member of the Royal Commission on Vaccination which was initiated in 1879 and sat for seven years. Hunter was surgeon to the Queen in 1881. In 1883 there was an outbreak of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
which had fallen under British jurisdiction in the previous year. There was an international dispute as to whether the disease was brought from Calcutta and hence should be dealt with by quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
or whether it was indigenous. Hunter was sent as a medical commissioner and concluded "Facts…lead to the conclusion that cholera, be it called by whatever name it may…has existed in Egypt for some time past…In order to obtain as much information as possible on the subject above referred to, instructions have been issued to the medical officers recently arrived from England to institute cautious and careful inquiry".
In the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, Hunter was elected MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Hackney Central
Hackney Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney Central was a borough constituency in what was then the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
and held the seat until the 1892 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
.