John Hall (doctor)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Hall was a British military surgeon
.
Studying at Guy's Hospital
and St Thomas's Hospital, he joined the Army Medical Service
in June 1815, being posted to Flanders just in time for the final stages of the Waterloo campaign
. He then served in Jamaicra (1818-1827 and 1841-44), Ireland (from 1835-36, and in 1844), Spain and Gibraltar (1836-39), South Africa
{1847-51, during the Cape frontier wars) and Bombay (1851-54).
He was ordered from Bombay straight to the Crimea for the Crimean War
in 1854, with the rank of Inspector-General of Hospitals, to head its main receiving hospital at Scutari
during that campaign. In that role he came into contact and conflict with Florence Nightingale
(whom he called in his letters a “petticoat imperieuse”), though he fully welcomed the help offered by Mary Seacole
. He returned from the Crimea in 1856, and retired a year later.
Though his actions in the Crimea led to his being mentioned in dispatches, becoming a KCB
and officer of the Légion d'honneur
, and receiving the third class of the Turkish order of the Mejidiye, he also faced criticism for them. The ‘Observations on the Report of the Sanitary Commission despatched to the Seat of the War in the East,’ that he published in 1857 brought him into conflict with John Sutherland
and Nightingale, since (with one other pamphlet by Hall) they were intended to rebut her criticisms of his organisation of the army hospitals. Intending to spend his retirement in India writing a medical history of the Crimean campaign, he was left part-paralysed by a stroke and gave up the intended book, touring Europe instead for the remainder of his life.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
.
Studying at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
and St Thomas's Hospital, he joined the Army Medical Service
Army Medical Services
The Army Medical Services is the organisation responsible for administering the four separate corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army...
in June 1815, being posted to Flanders just in time for the final stages of the Waterloo campaign
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
. He then served in Jamaicra (1818-1827 and 1841-44), Ireland (from 1835-36, and in 1844), Spain and Gibraltar (1836-39), South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
{1847-51, during the Cape frontier wars) and Bombay (1851-54).
He was ordered from Bombay straight to the Crimea for the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
in 1854, with the rank of Inspector-General of Hospitals, to head its main receiving hospital at Scutari
Selimiye Barracks
Selimiye Barracks, also known as Scutari Barracks is a Turkish army barracks located in the Üsküdar district on the Asian part of Istanbul, Turkey...
during that campaign. In that role he came into contact and conflict with Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
(whom he called in his letters a “petticoat imperieuse”), though he fully welcomed the help offered by Mary Seacole
Mary Seacole
Mary Jane Seacole , sometimes known as Mother Seacole or Mary Grant, was a Jamaican nurse best known for her involvement in the Crimean War. She set up and operated boarding houses in Panama and the Crimea to assist in her desire to treat the sick...
. He returned from the Crimea in 1856, and retired a year later.
Though his actions in the Crimea led to his being mentioned in dispatches, becoming a KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
and officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and receiving the third class of the Turkish order of the Mejidiye, he also faced criticism for them. The ‘Observations on the Report of the Sanitary Commission despatched to the Seat of the War in the East,’ that he published in 1857 brought him into conflict with John Sutherland
John Sutherland (physician)
John Sutherland was a physician and promoter of sanitary science.Sutherland was born in Edinburgh in December 1808, and educated at the High School. He became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1827, and graduated M.D...
and Nightingale, since (with one other pamphlet by Hall) they were intended to rebut her criticisms of his organisation of the army hospitals. Intending to spend his retirement in India writing a medical history of the Crimean campaign, he was left part-paralysed by a stroke and gave up the intended book, touring Europe instead for the remainder of his life.