John Frederick France

Last updated

John Frederick France F.R.C.S. Eng., JP (Born on 15 December 1817, christened on 16 January 1818 at St Luke, Chelsea, London, died on 6 October 1900 at St Leonards on Sea, Sussex) was the Ophthalmic Surgeon at Guy's Hospital from 1847 until 1849. [1]

Chelsea, London area of central London, England

Chelsea is an affluent area of West London, bounded to the south by the River Thames. Its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above Sloane Square Underground station. The modern eastern boundary is Chelsea Bridge Road and the lower half of Sloane Street, including Sloane Square. To the north and northwest, the area fades into Knightsbridge and Brompton, but it is considered that the area north of King's Road as far northwest as Fulham Road is part of Chelsea.

London Capital of the United Kingdom

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

Sussex historic county in South East England

Sussex, from the Old English Sūþsēaxe, is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English Channel, and divided for many purposes into the ceremonial counties of West Sussex and East Sussex. Brighton and Hove, though part of East Sussex, was made a unitary authority in 1997, and as such, is administered independently of the rest of East Sussex. Brighton and Hove was granted City status in 2000. Until then, Chichester was Sussex's only city.

Contents

Career

He received his medical education at Guy's Hospital, entering as a medical student in 1835. He immediately distinguished himself and in 1838 received the prize in surgery at the Physical Society. Next year he gained the Silver Medal for Ophthalmic Surgery and became M.R.C.S. Eng. in 1840.

Guys Hospital Hospital in London

Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.

Physical Society of London

The Physical Society of London, England, existed from 1874 to 1921. It was a scientific society and produced the Proceedings of the Physical Society of London. In 1921 the society became the Physical Society and in 1960 merged with the Institute of Physics (IOP), the combined organisation eventually adopting the name of the latter society.

Shortly afterwards he was appointed Assistant ophthalmic surgeon to the school. In 1847, he succeeded the late Mr John Morgan as lecturer on Ophthalmic Surgery at the school. He retired from active service at Guys in 1861 and was appointed Consulting Ophthalmic Surgeon. In 1855 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons; he was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and JP for Middlesex, London and Westminster. [2]

Society of Antiquaries of London British learned society for archaeologists

The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, and is a registered charity.

Middlesex historic county of England

Middlesex is an ancient county in southeast England. It is now entirely within the wider urbanised area of London. Its area is now also mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in other neighbouring ceremonial counties. It was established in the Anglo-Saxon system from the territory of the Middle Saxons, and existed as an official unit until 1965. The historic county includes land stretching north of the River Thames from 17 miles (27 km) west to 3 miles (5 km) east of the City of London with the rivers Colne and Lea and a ridge of hills as the other boundaries. The largely low-lying county, dominated by clay in its north and alluvium on gravel in its south, was the second smallest county by area in 1831.

Westminster area of central London, within the City of Westminster

Westminster is an area in central London within the City of Westminster, part of the West End, on the north bank of the River Thames. Westminster's concentration of visitor attractions and historic landmarks, one of the highest in London, includes the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.

France edited, with notes, the second edition of Morgan's work on Lectures on Diseases of the Eye (1848) and was a voluminous writer himself on Ophthalmic subjects. To the ‘Guys Hospital Reports’ [3] he contributed 17 papers between 1848 and 1861, and numerous other papers appeared in various periodical publications. Examples of these were:

Conjunctiva outer covering of sclera

The conjunctiva is a tissue that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera. It is composed of unkeratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, and stratified columnar epithelium. The conjunctiva is highly vascularised, with many microvessels easily accessible for imaging studies.

Cataract clouding of the lens inside the eye, which leads to low vision

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights, and trouble seeing at night. This may result in trouble driving, reading, or recognizing faces. Poor vision caused by cataracts may also result in an increased risk of falling and depression. Cataracts cause half of all cases of blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide.

France also published clinical observations about eye injuries, paralysis of the pupil and ptosis. GHR (V, page 26, VI, page 24, page 243, 1847–8) In the same journal (October 1845) he reported about the successful extraction of a traumatic calcified cataract from the anterior chamber. (Lancet 1850,1,14)

Personal

He used the leisure time of his somewhat withdrawn life for scholarly studies and for charity. France was one of the earliest supporters of Epsom College and was an active member of its council until ill health prevented his attendance. He was a Vice-President of the school. He was also greatly interested in the Royal Asylum of St Anne's Schools, and was always in attendance at the council meetings. In his last four years he purchased ten life presentations for girls to St Anne's and presented them to the governing body of Epsom College for necessitous orphan daughters of medical men of not less than five years' practice. The cost of these amounted to the sum of £12,000. He was also a Vice-President of the British Medical Benevolent Fund, and a generous donor to it.

Epsom College co-educational public school in Surrey, England

Epsom College is a co-educational Independent school, on the slopes of Epsom Downs in Surrey, in Southern England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. Founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orphans ("Foundationers"), Epsom's long-standing association with medicine was estimated in 1980 as having helped almost a third of its 10,000 alumni enter that profession. The college caters to both boarding and day pupils. The headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). The college's patron is Elizabeth II.

In June 1874, John F France, offered to provide a chapel for the proposed Kensington Workhouse, 'to be erected free of all cost to the Guardians'. His wife, Eliza France, had previously left £2,500 in her will for this specific purpose. [4] There is also a stained glass window in the Lady Chapel of Chichester Cathedral dedicated to France, his wife and their two children Beatrice and Bernard. It is the easternmost window on the south side.

After his retirement France lived for many years at 2 Norfolk Terrace, Westbourne Grove, and died at St Leonards-on-Sea on Oct 6th, 1900. His funeral took place in Chichester Cathedral. [2] By his will this much-respected philanthropist, whose fine motto had been 'May God me guide', left some £25,000 for the public use, and subject to this and some smaller legacies the residuary estate was left in trust for the Royal Medical Benevolent College at Epsom. He also compiled and edited Preces Veterum, cum Hymnis Coaevis, second edition (I887). [2]

John Frederick France was the son of William Beckwith France (Deputy Lieutenant) of Cadogan Place, Chelsea and grandson of William France Jnr (cabinetmaker).

Related Research Articles

Ophthalmology field of medicine treating eye disorders

Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in ophthalmology. Their credentials include a degree in medicine, followed by an additional four years of ophthalmology residency training. They may or may not receive residency training in internal medicine, pediatrics, or general surgery before the ophthalmology residency. Additional training may be sought through a fellowship in a particular specialty of eye pathology. Ophthalmologists are allowed to use medications to treat eye diseases, implement laser therapy, and perform surgery when needed. Ophthalmologists may participate in academic research on the diagnosis and treatment for eye disorders.

William Cheselden English surgeon and teacher of anatomy and surgery

William Cheselden was an English surgeon and teacher of anatomy and surgery, who was influential in establishing surgery as a scientific medical profession. Via the medical missionary Benjamin Hobson, his work also helped revolutionize medical practices in China and Japan in the 19th century.

Thomas Spencer Wells British surgeon

Sir Thomas Spencer Wells, 1st Baronet was surgeon to Queen Victoria, a medical professor and president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Philip Syng Physick American physician

Philip Syng Physick was an American physician born in Philadelphia. He has been called "the father of American surgery."

Jacob Hermann Knapp German-American ophthalmologist and otolaryngologist

Jacob Hermann Knapp, also known as Hermann Knapp, was a German-American ophthalmologist and otolaryngologist.

Arthur Jacob Irish ophthalmologist

Arthur Jacob (1790–1874) was an Irish ophthalmologist. He is known for founding several hospitals, a medical school, and a medical journal. He contributed to science and academia through his 41-year term as Professor of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and as the first Irish ocular pathologist.

Russell Claude Brock, Baron Brock was a leading British chest and heart surgeon and one of the pioneers of modern open-heart surgery. His achievements were recognised by a Knighthood in 1954, a Life Peerage in 1965, and a host of other awards.

Robert Marcus Gunn Scottish ophthalmologist

Robert Marcus Gunn was a Scottish ophthalmologist remembered for Gunn's sign and the Marcus Gunn pupil.

Charles Conor O'Malley, BSc, MB., DOMS, KM., was an Irish eye surgeon, writer, and Chief of the Name, 1889–1982.

John Bishop Estlin British surgeon

John Bishop Estlin was an English ophthalmic surgeon.

Eric Arnott British ophthalmologist

Eric John Arnott, MA, FRCS, FRCOphth was a British ophthalmologist and surgeon who specialized in cataracts, a condition which in many parts of the world still remains the principal cause of blindness. He is known for inventing new surgical techniques for treatment of various ophthalmological disorders, and received professional awards for his contributions.

John Charles White Halliday was an Australian ophthalmologist who popularised intracapsular cataract extraction in Sydney.

Sir Henry Tristram Holland was a Christian medical missionary who traveled to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan to provide ophthalmologic surgery and care. He is known for establishing hospitals in Quetta and North Sind and is credited with saving the sight of more than 100,000 people.

Sir Henry Morris, 1st Baronet British doctor

Sir Henry Morris, 1st Baronet FRCS was a British medical doctor and surgeon, president of the Royal Society of Medicine and the author and editor of significant works on anatomy. He was also known for his work in the field of cancer.

Henry Howse British surgeon

Sir Henry Greenway Howse was an English surgeon, sometime President of the Royal College of Surgeons.

John Tomes English dental surgeon

Sir John Tomes was an English dental surgeon.

Allon Barsam is a London-based ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery, refractive surgery and corneal and external eye disease. Barsam carried out the first human treatments of microwave keratoplasty.

John Argyll Robertson

Dr John Argyll Robertson FRSE PRCSE was a Scottish surgeon who specialised in ophthalmic surgery and became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1848.

George Mackay (1861-1949) was a British Ophthalmic Surgeon. He served in the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and was a member of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom, the Scottish Ophthalmological Club and the French Ophthalmological Society.

References

  1. ↑ Royal College of Surgeons Archives.
  2. 1 2 3 British Medical Journal; 20 Oct 1900, 2(2077): 1222-1223.
  3. ↑ Guys Hospital Reports: Third Series Vol VII by Samuel Wilks MD & Alfred Poland.
  4. ↑ British History Online: English Heritage, Survey of London Vol 42.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.