Sir John Simon (10 October 1816 – 23 July 1904) was an English

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

officer. He was the first Chief Medical Officer for Her Majesty's Government from 1855 to 1876.

Biography

John Simon was born in London to Louis Michael Simon, a stockbroker, and Mathilde (née Nonnet). He was the sixth of Louis' fourteen children by two marriages. His medical career began in 1833 when he became an apprentice to surgeon

Joseph Henry Green Joseph Henry Green FRCS (1 November 1791 – 13 December 1863) was an eminent English surgeon who also became the literary executor for Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Green was the nephew of another eminent surgeon, Henry Cline. After studying in ...

and he was educated at King's College and

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospita ...

in London. In 1838 he became a

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

. In 1845 he won the

Astley Cooper Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet (23 August 176812 February 1841) was a British surgeon and anatomist, who made contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology ...

Prize for an essay entitled "Physiological Essay on the Thymus Gland"; he was elected as a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

(FRS) the same year. In the mid-19th century, the government took measures to promote

; the Public Health Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. 63) was passed and a

General Board of Health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

was created. The same year, Simon was appointed the

Medical Officer of Health for London The medical officer of health for London was a publicly elected position for the city of London, established in 1848. It was the second municipal position of its kind in England, the first being help by William Henry Duncan in Liverpool. Soon after ...

for the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

's commission of sewers; this was only the second health officer appointment in the country (

William Henry Duncan William Henry Duncan (27 January 1805 – 23 May 1863), also known as Doctor Duncan, was an English doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title) ...

had become Medical Officer for Health in Liverpool the previous year). He served in this position until 1855. The General Board of Health was reorganised in 1853, and Simon became the board's Chief Medical Officer in 1855. The General Board only lasted until 1858; on its dissolution, Simon's role as Chief Medical Officer transferred to the Privy Council. From 1867 to 1869 he was President of the

Pathological Society of London The Pathological Society of London was founded in 1846 for the "cultivation and promotion of pathology by the exhibition and description of specimens, drawings, microscopic preparations, casts or models of morbid parts." Its first meeting was he ...

. He married, in 1848, Jane O´Meara, daughter of Deputy Commissioner-General Matthew Delaval O´Meara. Lady Simon died aged 85 in London 19 August 1901. Simon died on 23 July 1904 in London and was buried at Ladywell Cemetery in

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

Recognition

Simon's name features on the Frieze of the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...

. Twenty-three names of public health and tropical medicine pioneers were chosen to feature on the School building in Keppel Street when it was constructed in 1926.

Publications

References

;Footnotes ;Sources * *

External links

*
Sir John Simon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, John 1816 births 1904 deaths Medical doctors from London Alumni of King's College London Chief Medical Officers for England English pathologists English surgeons Fellows of King's College London Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Local government officers in England

Biography

Recognition

Publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links