William Beatty (surgeon)
Sir William Beatty | |
---|---|
Born | April 1773 Derry, Ireland |
Died | 25 March 1842 London, England | (aged 68)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1791–1839 |
Rank | Physician of the Fleet |
Battles/wars | Battle of Trafalgar |
Sir William Beatty
Biography
Early life and education
William Beatty was the eldest son of James Beatty, an officer in the Irish Revenue Service,[1] and Anne Smyth. He was born in the Waterside district of Derry, the eldest of four sons and two daughters. [2]
No records survive of his education, though he attended a local school, most likely Foyle College, before beginning his medical studies. He may have been apprenticed to his uncle George Smyth, a half-pay naval surgeon in nearby Buncrana, before studying at either the University of Glasgow or at "The United Hospitals of the Borough" - the joint medical school of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London. What is known is that on 5 May 1791, the 18-year-old Beatty was examined before the London Company of Surgeons, and found qualified for employment by the Navy.[3]
Surgeon's mate
Beatty was promptly appointed second
The ship sailed for the
Ship's surgeon
Beatty was appointed to the 28-gun frigate Pomona on 8 March 1795, but soon fell foul of his captain the Hon. Augustus Fitzroy. On 19 July, a discussion over the status of two men whom Beatty had placed on the sick list quickly became acrimonious, with Fitzroy accusing Beatty of incompetence and contempt, before ordering him to be arrested. Beatty's court martial was convened aboard Malabar at the Nore on 4 August. After hearing the witnesses, which included the first and second lieutenants, a panel of 12 senior captains exonerated Beatty of all charges.[7]
In September 1795, Beatty was posted to the 38-gun frigate
Beatty left the Alcmene in March 1801, to serve aboard the 36-gun frigate
The peace was short-lived, however, and the Britain declared war in May 1803. In July, Beatty was
Battle of Trafalgar
On the day of the battle, 21 October 1805, Victory had 821 crewmen aboard, 62 of whom would be killed and 109 wounded.[13] Beatty was personally called upon to undertake 11 amputations, mostly legs, actions that saved many lives. Only six wounded men subsequently died.[14] However, when Nelson was himself wounded, Beatty did not administer treatment, claiming that he believed that the Admiral was beyond treatment.[15]
The admiral had expressed the wish to be buried in his native soil, rather than simply being thrown in the sea like other mariners of the time. Beatty had to preserve the admiral's body for the voyage back to Britain, and decided to place it in a barrel of brandy. Beatty relates how gases from the corpse caused the barrel lid to open on 28 October 1805, alarming the posted marine guard. On arrival at Gibraltar, the barrel had to be topped up with
Physician of the fleet
Beatty was appointed physician of the
Later career
Beatty returned to his medical studies in Edinburgh between 1815 and 1817, gaining a second medical degree from the University of St Andrews on 14 October 1817 and becoming a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of London on 22 December 1817. He then served in civilian practice in Plymouth for the next five years. In April 1818 he was elected a member of the Linnean Society of London and was accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society.[21]
In September 1822, Beatty was appointed Physician at
Beatty also became prominent figure in London's business and scientific community, becoming a director of the Clerical and Medical Insurance Company and of the London and Greenwich Railway,[23] using his accumulated wealth to create a large collection of books and manuscripts.[24]
Retirement and death
Beatty retired in July 1839, at the age of 66, and in recognition of his 41 years in service was awarded a pension of £200 per annum. He settled at 43 York Street, Paddington, London, and served as a member of the organising committee for the building of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.[25]
Beatty died in York Street on 25 March 1842 of acute bronchitis, unmarried. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in an unmarked vault, at his own request. A memorial plaque identifying his grave was erected in the 1990s by the 1805 Club, a society dedicated to maintaining the memory of the men of Trafalgar.[26][27]
Media
Beatty was portrayed by Francis Magee in the 2005 Channel 4 documentary Trafalgar: Battle Surgeon, which focused on his actions during that battle.[28]
Beatty's instrument case can be seen at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.[29]
References
- Notes
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 36.
- PMID 16457409.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), pp. 43–46.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 46–47.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 49.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 53–57.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 58–62.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 62–64.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 65–75.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 76–79.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 81–82.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 95–96.
- ^ "HMS Victory – Trafalgar Roll". hms-victory.com. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- PMID 15971943.
- ^ a b Beatty, William (1807). Authentic Narrative of the Death of Lord Nelson. London, UK: T. Cadell & W. Davies. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- World Wide Words. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "The Nelson Bullet 1805". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 130–132.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 136.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 159–165.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 170–174.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 175.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 182–186.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 198–199.
- ^ Brockliss, Cardwell & Moss (2005), p. 188–189.
- ^ "Conservation Projects". The 1805 Club. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ^ "Monuments at Kensal Green Cemetery". The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery. 2006. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ^ "Trafalgar Battle Surgeon (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "William Beatty's Instruments". Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- Bibliography
- Brockliss, Laurence; Cardwell, John & Moss, Michael (2005). Nelson's Surgeon: William Beatty, Naval Medicine, and the Battle of Trafalgar (PDF). Oxford, England: ISBN 0-19-928742-2. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
External links
- Media related to William Beatty (1773-1842) at Wikimedia Commons
- Works by William Beatty at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about William Beatty at Internet Archive
- Works by William Beatty at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- The Death of Lord Nelson, 1807, by William Beatty from Project Gutenberg