Ralph Fletcher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1780 Gloucester, England |
| Died | 8 February 1851(1851-02-08) (aged 70–71) Gloucester, England |
| Resting place | St Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Medical School |
| Occupations |
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| Notable work |
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| Title | Mayor of Gloucester |
| Term | 1818–1819; 1828–1829 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Ralph Fletcher (1780 – 8 February 1851) was an English surgeon, medical andanimal welfare writer, and civic figure. He served twice asMayor of Gloucester and held senior roles at the Gloucester Infirmary and Gloucester Lunatic Asylum. An early advocate of animal welfare, he was President of theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Gloucester. He authoredSketches from the Case Book (1833), considered the first casebook ofpsychosomatic medicine, andA Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals (1846), an early work highlighting abuses against animals and calling for reform.
Fletcher was born inGloucester in 1780, the son of a baker.[1] He was educated atSt Bartholomew's Hospital and studied medicine at the Gloucester County Hospital underCharles Brandon Trye.[1][2] He obtained hisM.D. from theUniversity of Edinburgh.[2]
Fletcher established his own medical practice inBarton Street, Gloucester. His reputation as a consulting physician attracted patients from across the county and from South Wales.[2] In 1811, he became surgeon to theGloucester Infirmary and to the Gloucester Lunatic Asylum.[1] He was promoted to consultant surgeon at the infirmary in 1833.[1]
In his writings, Fletcher identified a connection between emotional factors and the development or resolution of physical symptoms.[1] In 1833, he publishedSketches from the Case Book, now considered the first casebook in the field ofpsychosomatic medicine. The case studies described patients with symptoms attributed to emotional causes who recovered without surgical or pharmaceutical intervention. He described patients whose symptoms were psychosomatic and were cured without recourse to drugs or surgery.[1]
Fletcher was an advocate foranimal welfare and was President of theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Gloucester.[3][4]
In 1846, he authored an early work on animal welfare,A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals.[5] The book was inspired by his observations of mistreatment near his home on Barton Street, which was close to the townanimal pound.[1] The book described abuses includingbadger-baiting, cat mutilation, the beating of calves, overworked donkeys and dogs, and starvation of pigs.[6] Fletcher proposed the creation ofanimal hospitals analogous to those for humans.[6] It was positively reviewed in theLondon Medical Gazette,The Athenaeum andThe Veterinary Record.[5][7][8]
Fletcher commented that we should show respect for "the interest and feelings of every sentient being that holds life."[4] Upon walking the streets ofLondon, Fletcher would stop and look at poor jaded cab-horses and give a shilling to the cabman who was most attentive to his horses as a way of encouragement.[2]
Fletcher was elected Mayor of Gloucester for the terms 1818–1819 and 1828–1829, and remained active in civic affairs throughout his life.[1]
Fletcher married Elizabeth Owen on 18 November 1805 at St. Michaels, Gloucester.[9] They had four children.[1]
Fletcher died on 8 February 1851.[10] He was buried atSt Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester. He was an avid collector of paintings and artworks and left a will valued at less than £50,000 (equivalent to £6,915,030 in 2023).[1] He bequeathed £15 (equivalent to £2,075 in 2023) per annum to support the cats he had fed when he was alive.[2]
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