George Fielding Blandford (1829–1911) was a British physician, known as a psychiatrist. He was author of ''Insanity and its Treatment'' (1871), which went through four editions and was translated into German.

Biography

After education from 1840 to 1841 at

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

and from 1841 to 1848 at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

, G. Fielding Blandford matriculated in 1848 at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

, graduating BA in 1852 and MA in 1857. In October 1852 he began the study of medicine at

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It shares its main hospital site i ...

, London, graduating BM (Oxon.) in 1857. In 1857 he also qualified LSA. He qualified MRCS in 1858 and MRCP in 1860. In 1857 Blandford sometimes took holiday duty (on an unofficial basis) at St Luke's Hospital, where he became a friend of several of the medical staff, including Alexander John Sutherland. Sutherland was the owner of Blacklands House, a London private asylum for gentlemen. Blandford was from 1859 to 1863 resident medical officer at Blacklands House and then in 1863 resigned his appointment to go into private consulting practice. From 1865 to 1902 he was lecturer on psychological medicine at St George's Hospital. In 1869 he was elected FRCP. In 1877 he was president of the Medico-Psychological Association. In 1895 he gave the Lumleian Lectures on ''The Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Prophylaxis of Insanity''. His private practice, begun in 1863, was first in

Clarges Street Clarges Street is a street in the City of Westminster, London. The street runs from Clarges Mews in the north to Piccadilly in the south. It is crossed by Curzon Street. History Clarges Street was built in the early 18th century and is probab ...

, then in

Grosvenor Street Grosvenor Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Grosvenor Street runs in an east to west direction, with traffic flowing in both directions. The eastern terminus is at George Street and ...

, and finally at 48

Wimpole Street Wimpole Street is a street in Marylebone, central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian architecture, Edwardian baroq ...

, and rapidly became large with an excellent reputation. In 1909 he retired from his London practice to live at Tunbridge Wells. He was a leading authority on legislation dealing with mental illness. His book ''Insanity and its Treatment'' maintained an international reputation for twenty years. He was a member of the

Athenaeum Club, London The Athenaeum is a private members' club in London, founded in 1824. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineerin ...

Family

In 1864 in

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, G. Fielding Blandford married Louisa Holloway. They had two sons and two daughters. The elder son, Walter Fielding Holloway Blandford (1864–1952), became a lecturer in entomology and then worked as a law clerk and solicitor. The younger son, Maurice Fielding Holloway Blandford (1866–1957), married Louisa Kathleen Robinson in 1899. The elder daughter, Violet Elsie Fielding Blandford, was born in 1873. The younger daughter, Katherine Fielding Blandford, was born in 1871. When he died in 1911, G. Fielding Blandford was survived by his widow and all four of his children.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blandford, George Fielding 1829 births 1911 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English medical doctors People educated at Tonbridge School People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Alumni of St George's, University of London Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians History of mental health in the United Kingdom British psychiatrists