Joseph Griffiths Swayne (1819–1903) was an English obstetric physician. He is now known for investigations on cholera, which may have anticipated the discovery of the responsible micro-organism by Robert Koch

Life

Born on 18 October 1819 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, he was the second son of John Champeny Swayne, a lecturer on

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

in the Bristol medical school; his mother was the eldest daughter of Thomas Griffiths, an apothecary in Bristol. After education at Bristol college, where one of his teachers was

Francis William Newman Francis William Newman (27 June 1805 – 4 October 1897) was an English classical scholar and moral philosopher, prolific miscellaneous writer and activist for vegetarianism and other causes. He was the younger brother of John Henry Newman. T ...

, he was apprenticed to his father and at the same time studied at the medical school and the

Bristol Royal Infirmary The Bristol Royal Infirmary, also known as the BRI, is a large teaching hospital situated in the centre of Bristol, England. It has links with the nearby University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the Wes ...

. Swayne went on to

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science cent ...

and became M.R.C.S. and a licentiate of the

Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a m ...

in 1841. He also studied in Paris, and in 1842 graduated M.B. at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

, obtaining the gold medal in obstetric medicine and being bracketed with Alfred Baring Garrod for the gold medal in medicine. In 1845 he proceeded M.D. at London and joined his father as lecturer on midwifery in the Bristol medical school; he was sole lecturer from 1850 until 1895, when he was appointed emeritus professor. In 1853 he was elected physician accoucheur to the Bristol General Hospital, one of the first appointments of the kind out of London; he held this post until 1875, when he became consulting obstetric physician. As a reputed consultant, Swayne had a large practice in the west of England. He was ahead of his time in stressing

asepsis Asepsis is the state of being free from disease-causing micro-organisms (such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, pathogenic fungi, and parasites). There are two categories of asepsis: medical and surgical. The modern day notion of asepsis is de ...

, and deprecated long hair or beards for those involved surgery or midwifery. He died suddenly on 1 August 1903, and was buried at

Arno's Vale cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadi ...

, Bristol.

Works

By 1843 Swayne was investigating cholera. In autumn 1849 the Second Cholera pandemic was threatening the city of Bristol, and the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society appointed a "microscopic committee" to look into the disease: it included Frederick Brittan,

William Budd William Budd (14 September 1811 – 9 January 1880) was an English physician and epidemiologist known for recognizing that infectious diseases were contagious. He recognized that the "poisons" involved in infectious diseases multiplied in the int ...

and others, as well as Swayne. He described a micro-organism that some have suggested was the "comma bacillus" which Robert Koch proved to be the cause of the disease in 1884. He took it to be a "fungus cell", and solicited help with verifying his research from microscopists including

Arthur Hill Hassall Arthur Hill Hassall (13 December 1817, Teddington – 9 April 1894, San Remo) was a British physician, chemist and microscopist who is primarily known for his work in public health and food safety. Biography Hassall was born in Middlesex a ...

and Edwin Lankester. George Busk, however, argued that the observation was of a uredo, that is, a fungal plant pathogen. The

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

shortly declared the matter closed.Francis Fowke, ''On The First Discovery of The Comma-Bacillus of Cholera'', The British Medical Journal Vol. 1, No. 1264 (Mar. 21, 1885), pp. 589–592. Published by:BMJ Swayne published papers in medical journals, and ''Obstetric Aphorisms for the Use of Students'' (1856; 10th edit. 1893), which was translated into eight languages.

Family

Swayne married Georgina (died 1865), daughter of the Rev. George Gunning of Deeping. They had one son and one daughter.

Notes

External links

Obituary, ''The Bristol Medical-Chirurgical Journal'', September 1903 (PDF)
with portrait by Villiers & Quick of Bristol ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Swayne, Joseph Griffiths 1819 births 1903 deaths English obstetricians English medical writers Medical doctors from Bristol