William James Erasmus Wilson facts for kids
Sir Erasmus Wilson (born November 25, 1809 – died August 7, 1884) was an important English surgeon and skin doctor, also known as a dermatologist. He helped many people with skin problems. He also used his wealth to support education and public health.
A Doctor Who Cared for Skin
Erasmus Wilson was born in London. He studied medicine at Dartford Grammar School and then at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. He also studied at the University of Aberdeen. Early in his career, he became known as a very skilled surgeon.
He cared deeply about poor people in London. A suggestion from a newspaper editor, Mr. Thomas Wakley of The Lancet, led him to focus on skin diseases. He saw many patients suffering from conditions like scrofula and blood poisoning. He worked hard to help them.
Wilson quickly became famous for treating skin conditions. It was said he told rich patients to stop living too luxuriously. For poor patients, he prescribed good food. He often paid for this food himself. Many people believe we owe the idea of daily bathing to Wilson. He also helped make Turkish baths popular in Great Britain. He wrote many books about spas, baths, and heat treatments.
His work on baths and heat treatments was directly linked to skin health. He wrote about how water, steam, heat, and cold affected the skin. He also showed how this connected to overall health. His ideas influenced the hydrotherapy movement, which used water for healing. He also supported the sanitary reform movement, which aimed to improve public health.
Wilson strongly supported public baths and wash-houses. He called them "one of the greatest discoveries of the present age." He even dedicated his 1854 book Healthy Skin to Edwin Chadwick. Chadwick was another important person in sanitary reform.
Wilson was not afraid to speak up for public health. In one book, he described Chinese steam baths. He then compared them to the lack of bathing facilities in some other countries. He wrote, "What would Mr Ellis say of a country in which there existed no cleansing apparatus whatever? For example, his own." This showed his strong belief in the importance of cleanliness.
Wilson wrote many books about skin diseases. His books, A Healthy Skin and Student's Book of Diseases of the Skin, were important textbooks for a long time. He traveled to the East to study leprosy. He went to Switzerland to learn about goitre. He also visited Italy to study skin diseases among poor farmers.
Queen Victoria made him a knight in 1881. He died in 1884 at Westgate-on-Sea, Kent. He had married Charlotte Mary Doherty in 1841, but they had no children. After his wife died, he left most of his money, about £200,000, to the Royal College of Surgeons.
Helping Others with His Wealth
Erasmus Wilson became very wealthy from his successful medical practice. He also made smart investments. Since he had no children, he gave a lot of his money to charity and education.
In 1869, he helped create a special department and museum for skin diseases at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He became president of this college in 1881. Just before he died, the college gave him an honorary gold medal. This medal had only been given out six times before.
He also started a professorship (a special teaching position) for pathology at the University of Aberdeen. He paid for a huge medical library at the Hunterian Museum, London. A statue of him stands proudly at the end of this library.
In 1878, he earned the nation's thanks for something different. He paid to bring the Egyptian obelisk called Cleopatra's Needle from Alexandria to London. The British Government did not think it was worth the cost to move it. Today, this obelisk stands on the Thames Embankment and is one of London's most famous landmarks. Erasmus Wilson was also connected to the Royal Medical Benevolent College in Epsom, Surrey, now called Epsom College. One of the student houses there, "Wilson House," is named after him.
A Famous Quote
In 1878, Erasmus Wilson made a statement about electric light: "When the Paris Exhibition closes, electric light will close with it and no more be heard of." He was wrong, of course!
Published Works
Erasmus Wilson wrote many important books and articles during his life. These included works on healthy skin, skin diseases, and the benefits of baths and water treatments.
