Douglas James Guthrie (8 September 1885 – 8 June 1975) was a Scottish medical doctor, otolaryngologist and historian of medicine.
After graduating in Medicine from
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
, he pursued postgraduate studies into diseases of ear, nose and throat at leading European clinics.
He served in the
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace.
On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...
during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and had a particular interest in disorders of speech in children, ultimately establishing specialised clinics.
In 1936, with no definitive teaching Hospital appointment, he began to research and write what would prove to be his magnum opus ''
A History of Medicine'' and became lecturer in the History of Medicine at Edinburgh.
In 1948 Guthrie brought about the foundation of the
Scottish Society of the History of Medicine and served as its first President. Subsequently, he became president of the
British Society for the History of Medicine and the
History of Medicine Society
The History of Medicine Society (HoMS) (formerly "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, was founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, and later became one of the four founder medical societies of the British Society for the His ...
at the
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton.
History
The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...
(RSM).
He died in 1975, his legacy remaining with the Guthrie Trust, which awards grants for research in history of medicine.
Early life and family
Douglas Guthrie was born on 8 September 1885 in
Dysart in
Fife
Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
, the son of Rev William Guthrie, minister of the United Free Church. He was educated at
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...
High School and the
Royal High School, Edinburgh
The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves around 1,400 pupils drawn from four feeder pr ...
.
He then studied Medicine at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
, graduating MB ChB with honours in 1907. He won the McCosh Graduate's and Medical Bursaries which he used to pursue postgraduate study into diseases of ear, nose and throat at leading European clinics. He studied in Berlin at the clinic of
Gustav Brühl (1871–1939), at the Vienna clinics of
Ottokar Chiari (1853–1918) and Marcus Hajek (1861–1941) and at Hamburg and Jena. After six months of research at the
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...
in Paris he worked as a clinical assistant at the
Hôpital Saint-Louis
Hôpital Saint-Louis () is a hospital in Paris, France. It was built in 1611 by architect Claude Vellefaux at the request of Henry IV of France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 a ...
in Paris.
He then spent six years in general practice in Lanark, during which time he worked on a thesis for the MD degree which was awarded in 1909.
He was awarded the
FRCSEd diploma in 1913.
He was married twice: firstly to Helen Purdie, and following her death in 1950 he married his cousin Margaret Jean Guthrie in 1953.
Surgical career
In the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he served in the
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace.
On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...
. After being invalided back from France he served as surgeon and commandant the
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...
hospitals in London, that in
Eaton Square
Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest Squares in London, square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main ...
and its sister Hospital in
Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square is an garden square in Marylebone, London. Terraced buildings surround it — often merged, converted or sub-divided, some of which remain residential. The southern end has the William Pitt Byrne memorial fountain. Next to ...
. This enabled him to attend the clinics at Kings College Hospital of the leading laryngologist Sir
St Clair Thomson.
On return to Edinburgh he was appointed Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon to the
Royal Hospital for Sick Children and lecturer in the
Extramural School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Edinburgh.
In 1930 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...
. His proposers were
Thomas James Jehu,
James Hartley Ashworth
James Hartley Ashworth (2 May 1874 – 4 February 1936) was a British marine zoologist.
Life
See
He was born on 2, May 1874, in Accrington in Lancashire, the only son of James Ashworth.
He spent most of his early life in Burnley, attending t ...
,
Ralph Allan Sampson
Ralph Allan (or Allen) Sampson FRS FRSE LLD (25 June 1866 – 7 November 1939) was a British astronomer.
Life
Sampson was born in Schull, County Cork in Ireland, then part of the UK. He was the fourth of five children to James Sampson, a Cor ...
and Sir
Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer
Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer (2 June 1850 – 29 March 1935) was a British physiologist.
He is regarded as a founder of endocrinology: in 1894 he discovered and demonstrated the existence of adrenaline together with George Oliver, and he a ...
. He later served as the Society's Curator from 1949 to 1959.
He had a particular interest in disorders of speech in children and established specialised clinics and the training of speech therapists. With George Seth he wrote ''Speech in childhood: its development and disorders'', which became a standard work on the subject.
As his fixed tenure post at the Children's Hospital was due to end in 1936, he applied, in 1933 for an assistant surgeon post at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but was not appointed. He continued as surgeon to the Army in Scotland and with a small practice at a small voluntary hospital the Eye, Ear and Throat Infirmary. So in 1936, with no definitive teaching Hospital appointment, he began to research and write what would prove to be his magnum opus ''A History of Medicine''.
Medical historian
When he finally retired from clinical work in 1945, he was appointed as a lecturer in the History of Medicine at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
, a post that had been previously held by his friend
John Comrie
John Dixon Comrie (28 February 1875 – 2 October 1939) was a Scottish physician, historian of medicine, and the editor of the first edition of ''Black's Medical Dictionary''.
Biography
Comrie studied at George Watson's College and the Univers ...
.
In the same year ''A History of Medicine'' was published to critical acclaim. A favourable review in ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' by
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
resulted in the book becoming a best seller. Shaw wrote "I am floored by the extraordinary discrepancy between his
uthrie'sknowledge and my knowledge..." He went on "Dr Guthrie's job of packing it
he history of medicineinto 400 pages is learnedly and readably done...". Shaw's review was syndicated in America boosting international sales and making Guthrie's name well known in the world of medical history. In Edinburgh he gave systematic lectures on medical history to medical undergraduates and also undertook a series of lecture tours to North and South America, to Africa and to Australasia.
At a time when history of medicine was the almost exclusive preserve of medical doctors, Guthrie promoted to them the techniques of the profession historian. He advocated that history of medicine should also be taught by historians in Arts faculties, a policy which began to be introduced in the UK about ten years later. In 1947 Guthrie was elected to the
Aesculapian Club
The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and ...
of Edinburgh.
Medical history societies
In 1948 Guthrie brought about the foundation of the
Scottish Society of the History of Medicine and served as its first President.
In 1956 he was elected president of the
History of Medicine Society
The History of Medicine Society (HoMS) (formerly "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, was founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, and later became one of the four founder medical societies of the British Society for the His ...
of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM). He stated in his presidential address at the RSM in 1957 "...it is obvious that history supplies an essential basis of medicine. It gives us ideals to follow, inspirations for our work and hope for the future".
[
] In 1965 he was involved in the founding of the
British Society for the History of Medicine and was also its first President
Honours
Guthrie for 19 years as Honorary Librarian to the RCSEd and as Librarian (Curator) to the Royal Society of Edinburgh of which he also became Vice-President from 1959 to 1962.
In 1956 he was elected President of the
Harveian Society of Edinburgh
The Harveian Society of Edinburgh was founded in April 1782 by Andrew Duncan (physician, born 1744), Andrew Duncan. The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of the life and works of William Harvey, the physician who first correctly des ...
and donated the President's medal to the Society. He was also elected President of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, President of the Old Edinburgh Club and Vice President of the
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland, founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...
.
He received honorary membership or fellowship from many ENT and historical societies in Europe and North and South America.
The two honours which he declared that he most valued were the Doctorate of Letters from the University of Edinburgh and the honorary Fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine, both awarded in 1967.
Death and legacy
Guthrie died in Edinburgh on 8 June 1975.
The Douglas Guthrie Trust, which is administered by the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine, awards grants for research in history of medicine.
The Douglas Guthrie Lecture, established in 1965, is administered by the two Edinburgh Medical Royal Colleges and is delivered biennially.
The Scottish Otolaryngological Society Guthrie Fund, administered by ENT Scotland, gives small grants to ENT consultants and trainees to enhance ENT training and education in Scotland.
[ENT Scotland: Guthrie Trust Funding. http://www.entscotland.org/education/]
Selected publications
* ''Diseases of the Ear, Nose & Throat in Childhood.'' London: A. & C. Black, Ltd, 1921.
* ''Some Disorders of Speech in Childhood: Their Nature and Treatment.'' Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1933. (With Elsa Davidson)
* ''Speech in Childhood; Its Development and Disorders.'' London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1935. (With George Seth)
1940s
* ''Early Text-Books of Otology''. London: Headley Brothers, 1940.
* ''John Hunter: Surgeon and Naturalist.'' Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1942.
* ''Religio medici'': ''A Tercentenary Tribute''. London: Lancet Office, 1943.
* ''Medicine: Art or Science?'' London: Samuel Temple, 1947.
* ''Lord Lister, His Life and Doctrine''. Edinburgh: Livingstone, 1949.
1950s
* ''Some Early Herbals and Pharmacopoeias.'' Edinburgh: Edinburgh University, 1950.
* ''Observations on Primitive Medicine, with Special Reference to Native African Medicine''. London: Royal Society of Medicine, 1951.
* ''History of the Royal Medical Society, 1737–1937.'' Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1952. (With James Gray)
* ''From Witchcraft to Antisepsis, a Study in Antithesis.'' Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1955.
* ''Medical and Literary Contributions to the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: 1783–1900.'' Edinburgh: Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1958.
1960s
* ''The Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children 1860–1960''. Edinburgh: Livingstone, 1960.
* ''Scottish Influence on the Evolution of British Medicine.'' London: Pitman Medical Pub. Co, 1960.
* ''A History of Medicine'': 2nd Edition. Edinburgh: T. Nelson and Sons, 1960.
* ''Plants As Remedies: The Debt of Medicine to Botany''. Edinburgh: Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 1961.
* ''A Short History of the Royal Society Club of Edinburgh 1820 to 1962''. Edinburgh: Royal Society Club, 1962.
* ''Janus in the Doorway''. London:. Pitman Medical Pub. Co.,1963.
* ''The Medical School of Edinburgh.'' Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 1964.
* ''Extramural Medical Education in Edinburgh, and the School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges''. Edinburgh: E. & S. Livingstone, 1965.
* ''The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh''. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 1968.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guthrie, Douglas
1885 births
1975 deaths
20th-century Scottish medical doctors
Scottish medical historians
People from Dysart, Fife
People educated at Kirkcaldy High School
People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh
Scottish medical writers
20th-century Scottish historians
Presidents of the History of Medicine Society
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School
Presidents of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine
Office bearers of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh
Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh