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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From the always useful Lost Hospitals of London: "The St Francis Hospital for Infants was founded in a small house in Hampstead {6 Denning Road} in 1903 by Helen Levis, {first} wife of the industri...

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Henry Gray

Henry Gray

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Sir Edward Muir

Sir Edward Muir

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Henry W. Goodman

Henry W. Goodman

Superintendent of Stores in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1892-1913.

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Great Plague

Great Plague

Europe suffered a number of bubonic plaque epidemics from 1347 – 1750.  The last major outbreak in England was in 1665-6 and killed about 100,000 people, 20% of London’s population at the time.  It...

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1 memorial