Sir William Henry Broadbent, 1st BaronetKCVO FRS FRCP (23 January 1835 – 10 July 1907[1]) was an Englishneurologist who was a leading British authority in the field ofcardiology andneurology. He also performed research involving diseases such astuberculosis and cancer. In 1881 he was elected President of theLondon Medical Society[2][3] and in 1887 President of theClinical Society of London.[4] Broadbent was a Physician-Extraordinary toQueen Victoria and Physician-in-Ordinary toKing Edward VII and thePrince of Wales.
Broadbent was born at Longwood Edge inLindley, now part ofHuddersfield, West Yorkshire. He was the eldest of seven children born to John Broadbent, a wool manufacturer and prominentWesleyan, and Esther (née Butterworth). His younger brother was Colonel John Edward BroadbentCB JP.[5]
He was educated atHuddersfield College before he decided to study medicine. He was apprenticed to a doctor in Manchester before studying medicine atOwens College, and the Royal School of Medicine inManchester. He studied in Paris in 1857 and returned in 1858 to pass the M.B. examination at Manchester.[6]
In 1859, Broadbent took up a junior post atSt Mary's Hospital, London, with which he was associated for much of his career (1859–1896). The next year he was elected physician to theLondon Fever Hospital. In 1865, he was promoted to physician in charge of patients at St. Mary's, and full physician in 1871. It was through his work at St. Mary's that Broadbent earned his reputation as an expert pathologist and outstanding clinical teacher. His areas of expertise included neurology and cardiology, as well as cancer and typhoid.[6][2]
The months of November 1891 to October 1892 were critically important to Broadbent and his career, and gave him a narrow involvement in a notorious series of crimes. In November to December 1891 Broadbent was involved in saving the life of Prince George (the future KingGeorge V) from typhoid fever. At about the same time that he was involved in this he was sent a mysterious letter accusing him of murdering a prostitute named Matilda Clover the previous October with poison. This letter demanded a huge blackmail amount to avoid ruin. Broadbent wisely sent the letter to Scotland Yard. In January 1892, he was sent for by the Royal Family in an attempt to saveAlbert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the older son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and "heir presumptive" to the throne of England. The Prince, known as "Prince Eddy" to the public (and nicknamed "Collars and Cuffs" due to some wardrobe choices he made) had caught a virulent strain of influenza. Broadbent tried everything he could to save the Duke, but on 14 January 1892 the Duke died. However, the Prince of Wales sent Broadbent a letter thanking him for his endeavours, that preserved for him and his wife one of their sons.[citation needed]
Then, in the late spring, Broadbent was informed of a police investigation into the deaths of a series of prostitutes in the Stepney and Lambeth areas of London that began in October 1891 and continued until April 1892. One of the victims was Matilda Clover, who had been classified as having died of natural causes, but the letter from the blackmailer to Broadbent gave details showing the woman had been poisoned.[citation needed]
An arrest was made in June 1892 of DrThomas Neill Cream for blackmailing another physician named Harper. Subsequently this was changed to a charge of murder for the poisoning of Matilda Clover. The trial of the defendant occurred in October 1892, with the charges including the attempted blackmail of Broadbent, and Broadbent's appearance as a witness. Cream was found guilty and sentenced to death, being hanged in November 1892.[citation needed]
Broadbent was a Physician-Extraordinary toQueen Victoria and Physician-in-Ordinary toKing Edward VII and thePrince of Wales.[6] In 1904, he waslisted honorary medical staff atKing Edward VII's Hospital for Officers.[7]
Broadbent received honorary doctorates from the universities ofEdinburgh, where he obtained a M.D. with the thesis'On the connection between diseases of the heart and apoplexy',[8]St. Andrews,Leeds,McGill andToronto.[2]
Broadbent was created abaronet, of Brook Street and Longwood, in 1893. He was appointed aKnight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in March 1901.[9]
Broadbent married Eliza Harpin in 1863, and had three sons and three daughters:[5]
His sons John and Walter also became physicians.[6]
He died at his home in London in 1907, following an eighth-month illness that began with pneumonia. His eldest son succeeded him in the baronetcy.[2]
Jeffrey Bloomfield, 'The Doctor wrote some letters'
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Baronet (of Brook Street and Longwood) 1893–1907 | Succeeded by |
