Severin Wielobycki (8 January 1793 – 7 September 1893) was a Polish

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

physician who lived in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. A controversial

homeopath Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dise ...

during a period of scientific focus, his adventurous life ranged from being a soldier in the

Kraków Uprising The Kraków uprising ( Polish: ''powstanie krakowskie'', ''rewolucja krakowska''; German: ''Krakauer Aufstand''; Russian: ''краковское восстание'') of 1846 was an attempt, led by Polish insurgents such as Jan Tyssowski and ...

and being a noted botanist, vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaller. He was fluent in Polish, German, French, Russian and English.

Life

Wielobycki was born on 8 January 1793 in

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...

. The first son of Sophie Soboloska and Stanislaw Wielobycki, a judge. They initially lived in

Wolyn Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...

in what is now

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

but moved west to a section which is now

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

(but was then German territory) in 1793 in or near

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

. This lies in the much disputed

Danzig corridor The Polish Corridor (german: Polnischer Korridor; pl, Pomorze, Polski Korytarz), also known as the Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, eastern ...

where ownership has frequently passed between Germany and Poland. In 1830/31 he and his whole family took arms in a local fight for independence from Germany and recognition of their Polish identity. He served as a captain in this resistance movement leading the Volvnian Cavalry Volunteers. Severin himself took place in 36 battles during the uprising and was one of the most prominent persons in the rebellion. Defeated he was offered the option of going to Britain rather than face imprisonment and he did this in 1831, sailing to

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

and probably staying there. He was in great poverty at this time. Records note that he was deafened by his military action. In Leith he taught French to earn a living. In 1839, his brother

Dionysius Wielobycki Dionysius Wielobycki (1813–1882) was a 19th century Polish doctor living in Scotland. A controversial homeopath during a period of scientific focus, his adventurous life ranged from being a soldier in the November Uprising and being a noted a ...

who had escaped from prison in Kraków, joined him in

. He initially made a living teaching French (which was more in demand than Polish or German. In 1841, he enrolled at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

with his brother, both studying medicine. They received their doctorate (MD) in 1843. They were both given Licentiates of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

(LRCPE). They initially worked together with a homeopathic practice at 59 Queen Street. Unlike Dionysius, who stayed in Edinburgh, Severin decided to emigrate to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. He lived in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

from 1845 to 1851. He then moved to London and had a successful career as a homeopath there. In London he lived variously at Connaught Terrace, 11 Russell Place and 4 Denmark Hill. In the 1861 census he appears in lodgings at 25 Montagu Street in Edinburgh. Later that year he married (see below). He retired in 1865 and moved to 1 Alma Villas in Leicester where Dionysus had been living since 1862 (when he was released from prison). When Dionysius returned to Edinburgh in 1871 Severin returned to London, living in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it m ...

. His health was excellent until 1890 and he would take a daily 12 mile walk to

Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of t ...

. In 1890 a bout of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

broke his health. The Society for the Study of Inebriety marked his 100th birthday with a party in January 1893. He served as their Vice president 1892/3. He died on 7 September 1893 at his home at 4 Eaton Villas in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west fr ...

aged 100 and 8 months. He is buried in

Paddington Cemetery The North Brisbane Burial Ground was a former cemetery in the Town of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was in the area now known as the suburbs of Milton and Paddington. It was also known as North Brisbane Cemetery, Paddington Cemetery and ...

. A member of multiple societies he belonged to the Vegetarian Society, Hahnemann Institute, the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, the

Hunterian Society The Hunterian Society, founded in 1819 in honour of the Scottish surgeon John Hunter (1728–1793), is a society of physicians and dentists based in London. Established by Dr William Cooke, a general practitioner, and Thomas Armiger, a surge ...

, the Medical Society of Edinburgh, the Physical Society of Edinburgh and the

British Homeopathic Society The Faculty of Homeopathy was formed in 1944 from the British Homeopathic Society (founded in 1844). It was incorporated by the Faculty of Homeopathy Act 1950, which confers an educational function on the Faculty. The Faculty promotes the developm ...

Vegetarianism

Wielobycki delivered a speech in March, 1893 that revealed he was a life-long teetotaller and

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat ( red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetaria ...

for seventeen years.Forward, Charles W. (1898)
''Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England''
London: The Ideal Publishing Union. pp. 86-87"Speech by a Centenarian"
''South Canterbury Times'', 1893. He was vice-president of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed mea ...

and of the National Food Reform Society. Wielobycki attributed his longevity to abstinence from alcohol, animal food and tobacco.

Family

In 1861 he married a Scottish widow, Helen Reith (b. 1813), of 48 Hanover Street in the town centre of Edinburgh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wielobycki, Severin 1793 births 1893 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British temperance activists British homeopaths Polish deaf people Medical doctors from Edinburgh People associated with the Vegetarian Society People from Kraków Polish centenarians Men centenarians Vegetarianism activists Burials at Paddington Old Cemetery British deaf people Deaf activists