
Sir Leybourne Stanley Patrick Davidson (1894-1981) was a British
[ physician, medical investigator and author][ who is well known for his medical textbook ''Principles and Practice of Medicine'', which was first published in 1952.]
Early life and Career
Davidson was born on 3 March 1894 in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(then known as Ceylon), to Sir Leybourne Francis Watson Davidson and Jane Rosalind Dudgeon Davidson.[ He had his education at ]Cheltenham College
("Work Conquers All")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public school Independent SchoolDay and Boarding School
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head
, head = Nicola Huggett ...
, England and later at Trinity College, Cambridge where he began his undergraduate medical education, graduating BA.
At the onset of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
in 1914, he enlisted in the Gordon Highlanders
Gordon may refer to:
People
* Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters
* Gordon (surname), the surname
* Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War
* Clan Gordo ...
, and his medical education was interrupted. He was seriously wounded in the war in 1915 while he was fighting in France, and spent the next two years recovering. He then resumed his medical studies 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 ...
and in 1919 graduated MB ChB with first class honours.
He then worked as a house physician at Leith Hospital
Leith Hospital was situated on Mill Lane in Leith, Edinburgh, and was a general hospital with adult medical and surgical wards, paediatric medical and surgical wards, a casualty department and a wide range of out-patient services. It closed in 1 ...
.
He became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1921 (proceeding to the Fellowship in 1926), graduated and awarded a Gold Medal for his M.D. thesis on Immunisation and antibody reactions in 1925.
In 1928, he was appointed as assistant physician to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
. He then was appointed as Professor of Medicine at the University of Aberdeen
, mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research universityAncient university
, endowment = £58.4 million (2021)
, budget ...
in 1930, which was one of the first full-time Chairs of Medicine anywhere and the first in Scotland.[ While working there, he spent his time in hospital work, teaching and research, not preferring private practice.][
He was elected a Fellow of the ]Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh 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 established i ...
in 1932. His proposers were Arthur Logan Turner
Arthur Logan Turner FRCSEd FRSE LLD (4 May 1865 – 6 June 1939) was a Scottish surgeon, who specialised in diseases of ear, nose and throat (ENT) and was one of the first surgeons to work at the purpose-built ENT Pavilion at the Royal Infirm ...
, James Ritchie James Ritchie may refer to:
* James Ritchie (rugby union) (1907–1942), Scottish international rugby union player
* James Ritchie (naturalist) (1882–1958), President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
* James Ritchie (Massachusetts politician) ...
, Thomas Jones Mackie
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
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* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the ...
and William Thomas Ritchie
Professor William Thomas Ritchie FRSE PRCPE LLD OBE (3 November 1873 – 7 February 1945) was a Scottish cardiologist who served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1935 to 1937.
Life
He was born on 3 November 187 ...
.
In 1938, he was given the Chair of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, in which he remained until he retired in 1959. He 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 a ...
in 1951. He was also the President 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 ...
from 1953 to 1957,[ and the President of The Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland in 1957.] He played an important role in upgrading, modernising and broadening the hospital teaching facilities within 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 ...
area.[
]
Teaching
Davidson is remembered as a gifted teacher at the bedside, where he taught that "everything had to be questioned and explained".[ While at the University of Edinburgh, he himself gave most of the systematic lectures in Medicine and also made his lectures notes available to students as typewritten notes. It was these notes which formed the basis of the textbook, ''"Principles and Practices of Medicine"'', that he published in 1952.][ He has been a teacher to many well known doctors including John George Macleod,][ Professor Ronald Haxton Girdwood who discovered the link between ]folate deficiency
Folate deficiency, also known as vitamin B9 deficiency, is a low level of folate and derivatives in the body. Signs of folate deficiency are often subtle. A low number of red blood cells (anemia) is a late finding in folate deficiency and folat ...
and Megaloblastic anemia
Megaloblastic anemia is a type of macrocytic anemia. An anemia is a red blood cell defect that can lead to an undersupply of oxygen. Megaloblastic anemia results from inhibition of DNA synthesis during red blood cell production. When DNA synthe ...
, Sir John McMichael, a pioneer in the field of Cardiology whose works formed the basis of success in the treatment of cardiac diseases in Britain, and Harold Thomas Swan, who discovered and published two important case-notes recording the successful clinical use of penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
in 1930.
Research works
Davidson was a member of the Empire Rheumatism Council, now known as Arthritis Research UK
Versus Arthritis is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis. It was launched in September 2018, following the legal merger of the two leading arthritis charities in the UK, Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care ...
, and has made significant contributions to developments in the field of Rheumatology
Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...
.[ He has published a book on nutrition, ''"Human nutrition and dietetics"'', based on his research in the field.][ He was also interested in the field of ]hematology
Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the pro ...
.[
]
Personal life
Davidson married Isabel Margaret Anderson (d.1979) on 27 July 1927 in Edinburgh.[ They had no children.]
They lived in Woodhall House in Juniper Green
Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated about south-west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east, Baberton ...
, south-west of Edinburgh from 1953 to 1957.[ He died on 27 September 1981.][
He is buried in the ancient stone vault of his ancestor, George Davidson of Newmills, in ]Currie
Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...
churchyard, near his family home.
Books published
In 1959 Davidson wrote, with collaborators A.P Meiklejohn and R. Passmore, the book ''Human nutrition and Dietetics'' that dealt with nutrition and health. The book has remained a standard reference on nutrition since then.
A more well known work of Davidson is ''Principles and Practice of Medicine'', a medical textbook which he first published in 1952. His lecture notes that he had previously distributed to students while working in the University of Edinburgh formed the basis of this publication. The book was of "modest size and price" and was well received by medical students.[ The book is now in it]
24th
edition, is considered a standard textbook for undergraduate medical students, and has sold over two million copies altogether.
He co-wrote ''The Textbook of Medical Treatment'' with Sir Derrick Dunlop
Sir Derrick Melville Dunlop FRSE FRCP FRCPE FRCSE FDS LLD QHP (3 April 1902-9 June 1980) was a senior Scottish physician and pharmacologist at the forefront of British medical administration and policy-making in the late 20th century. He created ...
.
See also
* Sir Robert Hutchison, the original editor of the medical book, "Clinical Methods", which is now known as "Hutchison's Clinical Methods".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Stanley
1894 births
1981 deaths
20th-century English medical doctors
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Dietitians
English medical writers
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Gordon Highlanders soldiers
Regius Professors of Medicine (Aberdeen)
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
British people in British Ceylon