Christopher James Davis (22 April 1840 – 27 November 1870) was a British-Barbadian physician. Educated in Europe, he volunteered to help sick and injured during the

Franco-Prussian war The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

in 1870, and died from

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

Childhood

Davis was born in

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, into a family of ten children. His family were Wesleyan Methodists. His father was British, his mother a Barbadian. "Of all my children," wrote his mother, "he seemed the most tender and considerate for me, and would weep himself to sleep if anything tired me."

Career

Davis studied to become a school teacher and was a lay-preacher in the

Wesleyan Methodist The Wesleyan Church is a Methodist Christian denomination aligned with the holiness movement. Wesleyan Church may also refer to: * Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, the Australian branch of the Wesleyan Church Denominations * Allegheny We ...

Church. The

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

movement had recently spread from

British Guyana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

to Barbados and other West Indian colonies. Their teachings were imbibed by Davis and he began to propagate them. Three of his own family also joined the Brethren.

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

-born Dr.

Thomas Mackern Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

of Blackheath, South-East London, visited the West Indies in 1866 to preach the gospel and to promote the literature work of the Plymouth Brethren in the islands. He met numerous Christians who had then recently broken with their denominational associations. He wrote: "They had begun 'amidst much opposition from professing Christians' to gather 'simply to the name of the Lord Jesus' – which meant that Brethren assemblies were functioning. The one chiefly responsible for this development was the young schoolmaster, C. J. Davis who for some time had been a local preacher among the Wesleyans." By 1866, he had sailed to Britain to study medicine with the intention to return to practise medicine in the West Indies. He settled in the north London suburb of

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

in the home of a Mr Holland. Davis became one of the House Physicians at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where in the first year of study, he gained the examiner's prize for proficiency in practical anatomy, and a junior scholarship in anatomy, physiology and chemistry. He was an able and earnest evangelist. He preached to large congregations with much accompanying blessing in many parts of the British Isles. He records in his gospel tracts some of the locations he visited; these include

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

in England,

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

and

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in Scotland. He pursued his medical studies at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

, where he completed his degree of MD. He cut a very striking figure and quickly drew crowds when preaching in the open air. A contemporary friend, a

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.A. T. Schofield, wrote that Davis was "a tall and distinguished looking man". He used to preach from a kitchen table in Union Street, Aberdeen, the result of which was the establishment of a very large assembly of Brethren in that city. In Aberdeen he delivered a series of lectures, which were published the year of his death as ''Aids to Believers''. He also wrote a tract on ''The Lord's Coming'', and an evangelistic book, ''The Grace of God''. His ''Aids to Believers'' ran through at least 18 editions in the first half of the 20th century. His final evangelistic narrative, ''The Teachers Taught'', is in print with a number of publishers.

Franco-Prussian War

During the

in 1870, Davis volunteered his services to assist the suffering and cholera-stricken peasantry of eastern France, especially at the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

. He devoted himself with skill and energy to the treatment of large numbers of sick and wounded and to the establishment of soup kitchens that gave food and life to multitudes of starving people. He was an enthusiast for his soup kitchens, to the extent that, on one occasion, when the sister of the Protestant Pastor at Sedan (Miss Goulden) told him there was not sufficient soup, he took his watch from his pocket, gained as a prize at College, and sold it to pay for the immediate needs. For this special war-work Mr and Mrs Chrimes of Moorgate,

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

, England, made the young physician almoner of a thousand pounds for the poor and sick among whom he laboured. Dr Davis also ran an ambulance, which was regarded as the finest one in the neighbourhood. He also took care of several hundred wounded Bavarians in dire need of aid. It was in this final benevolent service in war-torn Europe that he assumed the honourable nickname: "The Good Black Doctor".

Death

Two Englishwomen, Emma Maria Pearson (1828–93) and Louisa Elisabeth MacLaughlin (1836–1921), wrote this of him: :"Dr. Davis, at Pongy-sur-Meuse, had 300 sick and wounded, all Bavarians. ... Fever and diarrhoea were very prevalent, especially amongst the Bavarian troops, who ate large quantities of unripe grapes and apples. An application was made by a physician of colour, Dr. Davis, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, who had established a hospital just across the Meuse for the services of Louise and myself in his Ambulance, not so much to nurse the sick (he had no wounded), but to see that the German orderlies did their duty, and to prevent the entrance of green fruit. Davis died of smallpox, about two months afterwards, at Pongy-sur-Meuse, where he had his Ambulance, beloved, and mourned by all who had ever come in contact with him." "But his enthusiasm", said ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

'' medical journal, "carried him beyond his strength, and, returning in an exhausted condition from a short visit to England, where he had been to seek further funds, he was attacked with small-pox, of which he died on the 27th November, at the age of twenty-eight". Davis was greatly loved for his impartial service upon his death was given a military funeral which was followed by troops of both armies, headed by the Mayor of Sedan. His tombstone records the high esteem in which he was held. He was buried in the quiet graveyard of Fond de Givonne, just outside Sedan. In one of his tracts, the ''Grace Appearing and reigning; Glory to Appear'', Davis wrote, "go out and visit the sick – feed the hungry; and if you have the gift, explain the word of life to the poor and ignorant ... All can do good in some way; with time or worldly goods ... this is our time to do as receivers of grace. In health or sickness to adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour." William Joseph Lowe (1839–1927), another Plymouth Brother, also visited Sedan and wrote a description of his tour.W.J. Lowe: ''The Nest in the Altar or Reminiscences of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870'', reprinted by Chapter Two, London 1999, .

References

External links