Thomas Addison
Encyclopedia
Thomas Addison was a renowned 19th-century English physician and scientist. He is traditionally regarded as one of the "great men" of Guy's Hospital
in London.
Among other pathologies he discovered Addison's disease
(a degenerative disease of the adrenal glands) and Addisonian anemia (pernicious anemia
), a hematological disorder later found to be caused by failure to absorb vitamin B12
.
, near Newcastle upon Tyne
, the son of Sarah and Joseph Addison, a grocer and flour dealer in Long Benton. He attended the local village school and then went to the Royal Free Grammar School
in Newcastle upon Tyne
. He learned Latin so well that he made notes in Latin and spoke it fluently.
Addison's father wanted him to become a lawyer, but he entered the University of Edinburgh
in 1812 as a medical student. In 1815 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His thesis was on Dissertatio medica inauguralis quaedam de syphilide et hydrargyro complectens (Concerning Syphilis and Mercury).
Addison moved from Edinburgh to London the same year and became a house surgeon (a surgical resident) at the Lock Hospital
. Addison was also a pupil of Thomas Bateman
at the public dispensary. He began a practice in medicine while he was physician at an open ward reception on Carey Street.
Thanks to his teachers, Addison became fascinated by diseases of the skin (dermatology
). This fascination, which lasted the rest of his life, led him to be the first to describe the changes in skin pigmentation typical of what is now called Addison's disease
.
in 1819 and some years later was elected a fellow of the Royal College.
Addison was promoted to assistant physician on January 14, 1824 and in 1827 he was appointed lecturer of materia medica
. In 1835 Addison was joint lecturer with Richard Bright
on practical medicine, and in 1837 he became a full physician at Guy's Hospital. When Bright retired from the lectureship in 1840 Addison became sole lecturer. He held this position until about 1854-55. At that time, when medical students paid fees for separate courses of lectures, they searched throughout the city for the most attractive teachers. Addison was a brilliant lecturer. He attracted a large number of medical students to his lectures.
Thomas Addison was a superb diagnostician but rather a shy and taciturn man and had a small practice, at a time when physicians of his position usually had large practices. He was one of the most respected physicians at the Guy's Hospital
where he exerted a great deal of influence, devoting himself almost wholly to his students and patients. He was described as the type of doctor who is always trying to discover the change in a piece of machinery rather than one who, like his contemporary Benjamin Guy Babington
, regarded his patients as suffering, sensitive human beings.
. It would seem certain that depression contributed to his retirement in 1860. He wrote then to his medical students as follows: "A considerable breakdown in my health has scared me from the anxieties, responsibilities and excitement of my profession; whether temporarily or permanently cannot yet be determined but, whatever may be the issue, be assured that nothing was better calculated to soothe me than the kind interest manifested by the pupils of Guy's Hospital during the many trying years devoted to that institution."
Three months later, on 29 June 1860, he committed suicide
. The day after his death the Brighton Herald recorded that:
He was buried in the churchyard of Lanercost Priory
. The hospital had a bust made of him, named a hall of the new part of the hospital for him, and perpetuated his memory with a marble wall table in the chapel. Thomas Addison was at Guy's forever.
Addison gave one of the first adequate accounts of appendicitis
and wrote a valuable study of the actions of poison
s. He also made seminal contributions to the recognition and understanding of many other diseases, including;
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...
in London.
Among other pathologies he discovered Addison's disease
Addison's disease
Addison’s disease is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones...
(a degenerative disease of the adrenal glands) and Addisonian anemia (pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
), a hematological disorder later found to be caused by failure to absorb vitamin B12
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins...
.
The early years
Thomas Addison was born in April 1793, but his exact birthdate is not known. He was born in LongbentonLongbenton
Longbenton is a district of North Tyneside, England. It is largely occupied by an extensive estate originally built as municipal housing by Newcastle City Council in the 1950s and 1960s. It is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro stations Longbenton Metro station and Four Lane Ends Metro Station...
, near Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, the son of Sarah and Joseph Addison, a grocer and flour dealer in Long Benton. He attended the local village school and then went to the Royal Free Grammar School
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Royal Grammar School Newcastle upon Tyne, known locally and often abbreviated as RGS, is a long-established co-educational, independent school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It gained its Royal Charter under Queen Elizabeth I...
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. He learned Latin so well that he made notes in Latin and spoke it fluently.
Addison's father wanted him to become a lawyer, but he entered the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1812 as a medical student. In 1815 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His thesis was on Dissertatio medica inauguralis quaedam de syphilide et hydrargyro complectens (Concerning Syphilis and Mercury).
Addison moved from Edinburgh to London the same year and became a house surgeon (a surgical resident) at the Lock Hospital
London Lock Hospital
The London Lock Hospital was the first venereal disease clinic, being the most famous and first of the Lock Hospitals, which opened on 31 January 1747....
. Addison was also a pupil of Thomas Bateman
Thomas Bateman (physician)
Thomas Bateman was a British physician and a pioneer in the field of dermatology who was a native of Whitby, Yorkshire.He earned his medical degree from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary School of Medicine...
at the public dispensary. He began a practice in medicine while he was physician at an open ward reception on Carey Street.
Thanks to his teachers, Addison became fascinated by diseases of the skin (dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
). This fascination, which lasted the rest of his life, led him to be the first to describe the changes in skin pigmentation typical of what is now called Addison's disease
Addison's disease
Addison’s disease is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones...
.
Guy's Hospital
Addison's memorable career as a physician and scientist is usually dated to 1817 when he enrolled as a physician pupil at Guy's Hospital. Guy's Medical School recorded his entrance as follows: "Dec. 13, 1817, from Edinburgh, T. Addison, M.D., paid pounds 22-1s to be a perpetual Physician's pupil." Addison obtained his licentiateship in the Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1819 and some years later was elected a fellow of the Royal College.
Addison was promoted to assistant physician on January 14, 1824 and in 1827 he was appointed lecturer of materia medica
Materia medica
Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing . The term 'materia medica' derived from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De materia medica libre...
. In 1835 Addison was joint lecturer with Richard Bright
Richard Bright (physician)
Richard Bright was an English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease.He was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, the third son of Sarah and Richard Bright Sr., a wealthy merchant and banker. Bright Sr. shared his interest in science with his son,encouraging him to consider it...
on practical medicine, and in 1837 he became a full physician at Guy's Hospital. When Bright retired from the lectureship in 1840 Addison became sole lecturer. He held this position until about 1854-55. At that time, when medical students paid fees for separate courses of lectures, they searched throughout the city for the most attractive teachers. Addison was a brilliant lecturer. He attracted a large number of medical students to his lectures.
Thomas Addison was a superb diagnostician but rather a shy and taciturn man and had a small practice, at a time when physicians of his position usually had large practices. He was one of the most respected physicians at the 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...
where he exerted a great deal of influence, devoting himself almost wholly to his students and patients. He was described as the type of doctor who is always trying to discover the change in a piece of machinery rather than one who, like his contemporary Benjamin Guy Babington
Benjamin Guy Babington
Benjamin Guy Babington was an English physician and epidemiologist.He was born on 5 March 1794, the son of the physician and mineralogist William Babington and his wife, Martha Elizabeth Babington....
, regarded his patients as suffering, sensitive human beings.
Death
Thomas Addison suffered from many episodes of marked depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. It would seem certain that depression contributed to his retirement in 1860. He wrote then to his medical students as follows: "A considerable breakdown in my health has scared me from the anxieties, responsibilities and excitement of my profession; whether temporarily or permanently cannot yet be determined but, whatever may be the issue, be assured that nothing was better calculated to soothe me than the kind interest manifested by the pupils of Guy's Hospital during the many trying years devoted to that institution."
Three months later, on 29 June 1860, he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. The day after his death the Brighton Herald recorded that:
He was buried in the churchyard of Lanercost Priory
Lanercost Priory
Lanercost Priory was founded by Robert de Vaux between 1165 and 1174, the most likely date being 1169, to house Augustinian Canons. It is situated at the village of Lanercost, Cumbria, England, within sight of Naworth Castle, with which it long had close connections.It is now open to the public and...
. The hospital had a bust made of him, named a hall of the new part of the hospital for him, and perpetuated his memory with a marble wall table in the chapel. Thomas Addison was at Guy's forever.
Diseases Addison described
Addison is known today for describing a remarkably wide range of diseases. His name has entered into the annals of medicine and is part of the name of a number of medical disorders, including:- Addison's diseaseAddison's diseaseAddison’s disease is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones...
, sometimes called bronze skin disease - progressive destruction of the adrenal glands with the result being deficiency of secretion of adrenocortical hormones. Addison described this condition in his 1855 publication: On the Constitutional and Local Effects of Disease of the Suprarenal Capsules. - Addisonian crisis (or Addison's crisis) - an acute, life-threatening crisis caused by Addison's disease.
- Addisonism - a set of symptoms resembling Addison's disease but not due to Addison's disease, that is, not due to any disease of the adrenal glands.
- Addisonian anemia or Addison-Biermer disease - now synonymous with pernicious anemiaPernicious anemiaPernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
which involves Vitamin B12 deficiencyVitamin B12 deficiencyVitamin B12 deficiency or hypocobalaminemia is a low blood level of vitamin B12, it can cause permanent damage to nervous tissue as a long term effect. Vitamin B12 was discovered from its relationship to the disease pernicious anemia, which is an autoimmune disease that destroys parietal cells in...
. Described first in 1849. - Addison-Schilder syndrome is a metabolic disorder combining the characteristics of Addison’s disease (bronze skin disease) and cerebral sclerosis Also known as AdrenoleukodystrophyAdrenoleukodystrophyAdrenoleukodystrophy is a rare, inherited disorder that leads to progressive brain damage, failure of the adrenal glands and eventually death. ALD is a disease in a group of genetic disorders called leukodystrophies, whose chief feature is damage to myelin...
.
Addison gave one of the first adequate accounts of appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
and wrote a valuable study of the actions of poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
s. He also made seminal contributions to the recognition and understanding of many other diseases, including;
- Alibert's disease I - a skin disease characterized by pinkish patches, bordered by a purplish halo
- Allgrove's syndrome - a congenital defect in lacrimation
- Rayer's disease - a disorder characterized by depigmented patches of skin, jaundice, and enlargement of the liverLiverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and spleenSpleenThe spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
External links
- includes Biography- | Epitaph and gravestone at Lanercost Priory.