George Leith Roupell facts for kids
George Leith Roupell (born 1797, died 1854) was an important English doctor. He was known for his work in medicine and for being a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very respected group of scientists.
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The Life of George Roupell
George Roupell was born on September 18, 1797. His family came from a place called Hesse-Cassel. His father was George Boon Roupell, and his mother was Frances. George went to school in Greenwich.
In 1815, he started studying medicine at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He became a licensed doctor in 1824 and earned his M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree in 1825.
Becoming a Respected Doctor
On September 30, 1826, George Roupell became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. This meant he was a highly recognized doctor. He served as a "censor" several times, which was an important role in the college.
He also gave special lectures called the Croonian lectures. In 1832, he spoke about general diseases. In 1833, he gave lectures about cholera, a serious illness, and these talks were published.
Working at Hospitals
Before working at bigger hospitals, Dr. Roupell helped patients at the Seamen's Hospital Society and the Foundling Hospital. On June 19, 1834, he became a doctor at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. This was a very important position.
In 1838, George Roupell inherited his father's land and property. After this, he worked less as a doctor. In 1839, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a great honor for scientists.
His Final Years
Sadly, George Roupell caught cholera while visiting Boulogne. He passed away in London on September 29, 1854, after being sick for only about a day. He was not married.
George Roupell's Medical Books
Dr. Roupell wrote several important books about diseases.
Understanding Poisons
In 1833, he published a book called Illustrations of the Effects of Poisons. This book included notes and drawings that showed how different poisons affected the body. The drawings were made by George McWhinnie, who worked at St. Bartholomew's Hospital.
Studying Fevers
In 1837, he wrote Some Account of a Fever prevalent in the year 1831. This book described a fever that was common in 1831. Dr. Roupell suggested calling this sickness "febris typhodes rubeoloida." Today, we think this illness was likely cerebrospinal meningitis, which is a serious infection of the brain and spinal cord. Out of 75 people who got this fever, 12 sadly died.
Research on Typhus Fever
In 1839, Dr. Roupell published A Short Treatise on Typhus Fever. This book was based on what he saw in the hospital wards. He also used information from other doctors' writings.
He noticed that typhus, a type of fever, could spread even from a dead body. However, he also observed something interesting: 136 students at St. Bartholomew's Hospital carefully studied 17 bodies of people who had died from typhus. Only two of these students caught the disease, and they had also been near living patients with typhus. This suggested that being around living sick people was more likely to spread the disease than being near a body.
