Thomas Lovell Buzzard (24 August 1831 – 1 January 1919) was a Victorian English doctor who worked at the National Hospital, Queen Square. He was a pioneering

neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...

who founded an

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

society and wrote also on

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. One of the last doctors to be trained through the apprenticeship route, Buzzard witnessed the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and later was a role model for the famous painting ''

The Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

''.

Early life

Buzzard was born in Cross Street, Hatton Garden, London on 24 August 1831. His father, George was a solicitor. After being educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

, Buzzard became apprentice to a doctor, before entering

King's College Hospital King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by ...

and working for Sir William Fergusson as house surgeon.

Early surgical career

Buzzard assisted in the 1854 cholera epidemic in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, London. In 1855, he joined the British medical staff with the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

and was present at the Siege of Sevastopol. He was also a special correspondent in the Crimea for the ''Daily News''. For this, he was honored with the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

with clasp, the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

, and the Turkish war medal.

Neurology

Buzzard graduated as M.B, with the gold medal in surgery, in 1857, after returning from the Crimea. He spent the next six years in general practice in London and in contributing to the ''Daily News'' and the ''Lancet''. Recommended by

John Hughlings Jackson John Hughlings Jackson (4 April 1835 – 7 October 1911) was an English neurologist. He is best known for his research on epilepsy. Biography He was born at Providence Green, Green Hammerton, near Harrogate, Yorkshire, the youngest son of Sa ...

, in 1867, Buzzard was appointed to the staff of the National Hospital for the Paralyzed and Epileptic. He is part responsible for the international reputation of ‘Queen Square’ . In 1891 he wrote ''On the simulation of hysteria by organic disease of the nervous system'', and articles on neurology and allied subjects for Quain's ''Dictionary of Medicine''. Buzzard also wrote on paralysis agitans, the first article on

in the journal ''Brain''. He is considered a pioneer in neurology. The United Kingdom's largest

society, The National Society for Epilepsy was founded in Buzzard's home in London in 1892. Its first mission was to establish an agricultural community where people with epilepsy could live and work.

Personal

From 1860 to 1867 Buzzard belonged to the

Queen's Westminster Rifles The Queen's Westminsters were an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originally formed from Rifle Volunteer Corps, which were established after a French invasion scare of 1859. The unit became part of the newly ...

. He liked to travel and to paint with water-colours. Many of his friends were leading artists.

Luke Fildes Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (3 October 1843 – 28 February 1927) was a British painter and illustrator born in Liverpool and trained at the Royal College of Art, South Kensington and Royal Academy Schools. He was the grandson of the political act ...

painting ''

'' is closely connected with Buzzard. He married Isabel Wass in 1889, daughter of Joseph Wass, a noted Lead Smelter, of Lea Green in Derbyshire, and had two daughters and four sons, including Sir Edward Farquhar Buzzard, 1st Baronet, FRCP, who followed in his footsteps as physician to the National Hospital. His other sons were in the army, Lt Col Charles Norman Buzzard DSO CMG, Royal Artillery, Brigadier General Frances Anstie Buzzard DSO, Archibald Dougan Buzzard and daughters, Louisa and Dorothy.

Later life

Buzzard continued in practice until the age of seventy-nine, and published in his eighty-fifth year a book of his experiences in the Crimea. He died in London on 1 January 1919.

Selected publications

''Clinical aspects of syphilitic nervous affections''.
J. & A. Churchill, London, 1874. * ''Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Nervous System''. J. & A. Churchill, London, 1882.
''On some forms of paralysis from peripheral neuritis of gouty, alcoholic, diphtheritic, and other origin''.
J. & A. Churchill, London, 1886.
''On the simulation of hysteria by organic disease of the nervous system''.
J. & A. Churchill, London, 1891. * ''With the Turkish Army in the Crimea and Asia Minor: A personal narrative''. John Murray, London, 1915.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buzzard, Thomas 1831 births 1919 deaths British neurologists People educated at King's College School, London Queen's Westminsters officers Medical doctors from London 19th-century English medical doctors Fellows of King's College London Military personnel from the London Borough of Camden