Christopher Widmer (May 15, 1780 – May 3, 1858) was a British born
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and
surgeon who spent much of his career in Canada.
Early career
Before settling in York he was a staff cavalry surgeon on active duty during the Peninsula campaigns. He served in Spain and Portugal in the Peninsular War from 1808 to 1824 and in Canada from 1814 to 1817.
Medical practice in York
He opened a medical practice in York in 1818 or 1819 where he practiced medicine alone. He was appointed to the Medical Board of Upper Canada in 1891 and between 1822 and 1858 he presided over the regulatory boards and helped to push for high standards of both medical practice and education in the area.
On November 15, 1828 he announced a partnership with Dr. Diehl. He continued practicing medicine until his death, remaining a well respected doctor in the
City of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
Boards and honors
He helped to found the
Toronto General Hospital
The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue's Hospit ...
and the King's College medical school. He was briefly the chancellor of the university in 1853 when he was elected as a protest over the threat of closing the medical school.
He is well known for greatly advancing the practice of modern medicine in Canada.
See also
*
William Rawlins Beaumont William Rawlins Beaumont (1803 – October 12, 1875) was a surgeon who was educated at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital where he studied under the distinguished surgeon, John Abernethy (surgeon), John Abernethy.
While at St Barts, which was a mod ...
References
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
Canadian military doctors
1780 births
1858 deaths
Physicians from Ontario
Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto
British Army personnel of the Peninsular War
British Army regimental surgeons
People from High Wycombe
{{UK-med-bio-stub