Portrait of William Copeman Wellcome L0015922

William Sidney Charles Copeman (1900 – 24 November 1970) was a British

rheumatologist Rheumatology () 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. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, c ...

and a

medical historian The medical history, case history, or anamnesis (from Greek: ἀνά, ''aná'', "open", and μνήσις, ''mnesis'', "memory") of a patient is a set of information the physicians collect over medical interviews. It involves the patient, and even ...

, best remembered for his contributions to the study of arthritic disease. As a rheumatologist, Copeman was influential in the running of the Heberden Society, the foundation and editorship of the ''

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases The ''Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases'' is an international peer-reviewed medical journal. It is published by Elsevier on behalf of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology and covers all aspects of rheumatology, including musculosk ...

'', and the first editor of the ''Textbook of the Rheumatic Diseases'' which was first published in 1948. He worked at the Arthur Stanley Institute for Rheumatic Diseases at

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

, as well as being the consultant rheumatologist for the British Army and the

Royal Star and Garter Home, Richmond The Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill, in Richmond, London, was built between 1921 and 1924 to a design by Sir Edwin Cooper, based on a plan produced by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1915, to provide accommodation and nursing facilitie ...

. In 1936, he set up the Empire Rheumatism Council, now known as

Arthritis Research UK Versus Arthritis is the United Kingdom's largest charity supporting people with arthritis. It was launched in 2018, following the legal merger of the country's two leading arthritis charities, Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care in 2017. Ac ...

. As a medical historian, Copeman gave the Fitzpatrick Lectures at the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

, which formed the content for his 1960 book ''Doctors and Diseases in Tudor Times''. He also published a book on the ''History of Gout and Rheumatic Diseases'' which stemmed from lectures given at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...

. He was also elected a fellow of the

International Academy of the History of Medicine International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. He was president of the

History of Medicine Society at The Royal Society of Medicine, London The History of Medicine Society (HoMS) (formerly "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, was founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, and later became one of the four founder medical societies of the British Society for the Histo ...

between 1964 and 1966. During this time, he represented the

Worshipful 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 me ...

when founding the

British Society for the History of Medicine The British Society for the History of Medicine (BSHM) is an umbrella organisation of History of medicine societies throughout the United Kingdom, with particular representation to the International Society for the History of Medicine. It has gro ...

in 1965. He was the son of Dr Sydney Copeman, also a well-known physician. During World War I, he served as an officer with the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

. His son was the dermatologist Peter Copeman, also known as Dr Spot.

Selected publications

*''A Short History of the Gout and the Rheumatic Diseases'' (1964)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copeman, W. S. C. 1900 births 1970 deaths British rheumatologists English medical historians Coldstream Guards officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Gout researchers 20th-century British medical doctors Presidents of the History of Medicine Society Presidents of the Osler Club of London