Greenock medical martyrs of 1864–65

By lesleyrichmond on May 20, 2009 • ( 0 )

A new piece of research into the 1864 typhus outbreak in Greenock has been published online in the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 2009:39: 173-8, based on research undertaken in the Archives of the University of Glasgow. The paper, written by a retired consultant physician, examines the case of the death of five young physicians in Greenock from epidemic typhus, during four consecutive months in 1864–65 and describes the lives and backgrounds of these doctors, who made up a third of the medical profession in the town. Their deaths in the line of duty earned them the description of ‘medical martyrs’. Matriculation and other student registration records were used to provide the medical education and background of the doctors.