The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
FAMOUS MAN OF MEDICINE
SIR WILLIAM JENNER AND HIS
PRACTICE AMONG ROYALTIES.
A Struggling BOyhood. Earnings of
$4,000 q Year. and a Lonely Death
After a Life Among Palaces.

| 80, 1875 at Chatham he was not far from
his eighty-fourth birthday when he died,
but for the last few years he had lived in
| close seclusion, being in too feeble health
to take any active exercise, and without
strength even to sign his own name. The
scene of his closing life was Greenwood,
Durley, house and estate which he had
bought, not far from the palace. 1t was
there that some little time ago, before his
health broke down, he was occasionally
seen driving from farm to farm in little
pony cart. He died of no other malady than
old age, and had taken to his bed only for
the past seven days.
Sir William Jenner, who was created a
baronet in 1868, and obtained a K. c. B. in
1872, was subsequently given a G.. c. B., be-
ing probably the only medical man who
ever received a. similar honor
Few men have had better opportunities Of
| becoming familiar with the characteristics
of Sir William Jenner than DR.. Cooper
Bentham, who was with the distinguished
physician from 1915. as his assistant, until
his retirement few years since. During
that period DR. Bentham was present with
his chief morning, noon and night; he at
tended him when Jenner gave clinical lee
lures to hospital students, watched the
wonderful growth of his private practice
for fifteen busy years. and accompanied
him on one of those long professional visits
to the Queen at Balmoral A curious and
intimate insight into the career of a great
DEBTORS life was afforded in the course of
| conversation with DR.. Bentham-a chat full
of interesting "Reminiscences.
1T was from the sister of Sir William
Jenner'' he said. that heard some refer
| ence to his childhood. Born at Chatham on
Jan. 80. in the year of the battle of Water
loo-the fourth son Of the late John Jenner
of Rochester-he was educated, as you
| know, at University College, and in his
medical student days he was terribly poor
He himself told me that he did not believe
anybody had been so pinched But nothing
dismayed him. He was always a plodder and
full of energy. Once he sat up two whole
nights In a knockers yard in order to eX-
anime the lungs of a dying horse in order
| that paper he Was preparing on the dis
eases of the lungs might be accurate He
began his professional career as general
practitioner, and when he was in Albany
street his custom was to wear an old
fashioned swallow-tailed coat and cravat
and for many years he chung to these anti
quated garments. Jenner was still very poor
Reynolds, his dearest friend, often went to
breakfast with him. and, as he said. he was
very much struck with the different pat
terms OF the cups and saucers for it was
scratch set, collected from variety of cor
ners to do honor to the guests. Years after
ward, when he was doing a large practice
in Harley street, Jenner, speaking of those
struggling days, declared to me that il any,
body had then left him $500 year he would
not have gone into practice at all. but de-
voted himself to medical science. How de-
| voted to his work he was the following an
ecdote may show: Reynolds-afterward Sir
Russell Reynolds and president Of the Roy
! al College of Physicians-who was Jenner's
| Junior at University College. and, as l have
said, his great chum-was very fond of mu-
| sic. Jenner had no ear at all for it; it
rather annoyed him. One evening he came
suddenly into the company of Reynolds
! who, with one or two others was having
musical evening, and Jenner was very much
dlsgusted thereat. Reynolds in reply to his
| remonstrances. mildly represented that they
were only having q little recreation. Jenner
| retorted, loftily and Indignantly Recrea-
ton, My recreation with emphasis on the
my my recreation is pathological anat-
! omy! The next morning, when the Of
Tended teacher appeared in the classroom to
give his lecture to the assembled students
! he was confronted on the blackboard with
carlcature OF the gentleman who found his
recreation in pathological anatomy.
HIS COURT CONNECTION.
"Jenner owed his connection with the court
which lasted to the day Of his death. to a
singular train of circumstances He had as
sisted Sir James Clark, who had filled the
post, and when he retired there was a ques-
ton who should be appointed in his place
The selection rested between Parkes Baly
and Jenner. The first-namcd refused on the
ground that his health would not allow him
to do as much travelling as would be re-
CURED. and as Baly was the senior was APP
pointed physician extraordinary to the
Queen. But Jenner's turn came quite unex-
pectedly-it might almost be called one of
those strokes of luck which were so evident
in his career. 1t was in this wise One dav
person telegraphed to Jenuer 10 go into
the country to see a child who was suffering
from dlphther1a, and the telegram was so
worded that if Jenner could not come he was
to ask Baly. Jenner was unable to attend
and he forwarded the telegram to Baly. who
Went On that railway journey there was an
accident, and Baly was killed. Soon after
ward Jenner was appointed in his room.
. 'Jenner during his long attendance upon
the Queen and royal family must have had
at one time or the other, almost all of her
Majestys children under his care but the
extremely delicate health of the late Duke
or Albany was his particular anxiety from
the boyhood or the prince. Before he sue
ceeued TO the post filled for d short time by
Baly, Jenner had been to Windsor with
BAYS predecessor. Sir James Clark. He
was. 1t Will be recollected one Of the phvsi-
Claus who attended the Prince Consort in his
last illness, and the Queen in her diary
makes more than one reference to the
"Jenners attendance upon the Queen was
no sinecure. Notwithstanding that her Males
ty seldom required his services He was al
ways expected to go down to Windsor or Os-
borne every week end, from Saturday after
noon 70 sunday night and he invariably
was always in readiness, within call of the
queen, and his exercise he took when her
Majesty had her usual afternoon drive. BY
ana by, aIter twenty years, he found that
the strain of going So far north as Balmoral
told upon nm. lie felt in want of regular
summer holiday. So he rendered his resigna-
ton, but the Queen would not accept it, Her
Majesty permitted him TO send DR. Wilson
Fox in his stead. This was before DR.. Reid
G. B., had succeeded old Dr. Marshall
Scotchman, as the regular medical attendant
of the royal household. Sir William was
very anxious that Reid should be prepared
for the post.
HIS WRITINGS AND FEES.
I'm his lecture at BaImoral Jenner wrote
some of his later essays and papers upon
fever, the acute specific diseases, diphtheria.
the diseases Of children, diseases of the
heart, lungs, skin, etc, published between
1S4s-79. But he was not prolific in literary
| sense. Several men lay claim to the honor
of being the first to have distinguished the
difference between typhhs and typhoid fever,
but Jenner clinched the matter absolutely
by proving that they We're due TO different
causes. What he did write was mastery
His papers ON ricketts, exhausted the whole
subject; nobody has added anything to it
since. though these papers We're written so
far back as 1S57-60-61
1T was in 1919 that I joined him. and I
was with him until his retirement in 1882
he must have made an enormous sum dur
ing those fifteen years His practice in
! Brook street, know, doubled in 1876 and
his income averaged from E120o0 to 915000
per annum. IT never went beyond that. An
drew Clark boosted that he once made
10000 year. but ! do not understand how
| he Gid II. do not take into account cxcep-
tional fees, of which I know. Sir William
had fxrO arh HCt