Francis Bisset Hawkins facts for kids

Francis Bisset Hawkins was an important English doctor who lived a long time ago. He was born on October 18, 1796, and passed away on December 7, 1894, at the age of 98. He made many important changes to public health and how people were treated in prisons and factories.

Early Life and Education

Francis was born in London. His father, Adair Hawkins, was also a surgeon. Francis went to famous schools like Eton College and Exeter College, Oxford. He studied hard and earned several degrees, becoming a doctor in 1825. His brother, William Bentinck Hawkins, was also a notable person.

A Career in Medicine

Francis Bisset Hawkins became a member of the important Royal College of Physicians in 1826. This is a group for top doctors. He gave special lectures there, called the Gulstonian lecture in 1828 and the Lumleian lecture in 1835. He also worked as an examiner for the college in 1830.

From 1828 to 1832, he worked as a doctor at the Westminster Dispensary, which was like a clinic for people who needed medical help. In 1829, he became the very first Professor of Materia Medica at King’s College, London. This subject is now called Pharmacology, which is the study of how medicines work. He left this teaching job in 1835. In 1834, he was also chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.

Helping Society

Francis Bisset Hawkins cared a lot about making society better. He took on several important roles to help improve people's lives.

Improving Factory Conditions

In 1833, he became a Factory Commissioner. His job was to look into the working conditions for children in factories. He wrote a report called Report on the Health and Condition of the Manufacturing Districts. In this report, he suggested two big changes:

• Children and women should work fewer hours.
• Public gardens and parks should be created in Manchester.

Both of these ideas were put into action, which helped many people.

Prison Reform

In 1836, he was made an inspector of prisons. He visited prisons to check on how they were run. He also became a commissioner for mental health in 1842, a role he held until 1845. From 1847 to 1848, he helped manage Pentonville prison.

In his reports on prisons, he successfully suggested that prisons should use less solitary confinement. This means keeping prisoners alone in their cells for long periods. His work helped make prisons more humane.

Public Health Records

Francis Bisset Hawkins also played a big part in improving how health information was recorded. In 1837, a new system for registering births and deaths was started by the General Register Office. He was largely responsible for adding an extra column to the death register. This column was used to write down the specific disease or cause of death. This made it much easier to track public health issues.

Later Life and Legacy

Later in his life, Francis Bisset Hawkins moved from London to Bournemouth. In 1858, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset, which is a special role in the local government. He passed away at the age of 98. He was a widower and did not have any children.

To honor his memory and his work in public health, the Royal College of Physicians created the Bisset Hawkins Medal in 1896. This medal is given to people who have done important work to improve public health.

Published Works

Francis Bisset Hawkins wrote several books and reports during his career:

• The Elements of Medical Statistics. 8vo. London, 1829.
• The History of the Epidemic Spasmodic Cholera of Russia. 8vo. London, 1831.
• Germany; the Spirit of her History, Literature, National Economy, and Social Condition. 8vo. London, 1838.
• Reports on the Factory Commission. London, 1833.
• Reports on the Prisons of the Southern and Western Districts of England from 1836 to 1842. Folio. London.