William Smoult Playfair
William Smoult Playfair FRCP | |
|---|---|
 William Smoult Playfair, portrait by Susanne von Nathusius (1882) | |
| Born | 27 July 1836 |
| Died | 13 August 1903 (aged 67) St Andrews, Scotland |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Obstetrician |
| Relatives | Sir Lambert Playfair Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair |
| Medical career | |
| Institutions | King's College Hospital |
Dr William Smoult Playfair FRCP (27 July 1836 – 13 August 1903) was a leading Scottish obstetric physician and academic. In 1896 a trial, Kitson v. Plafair, found against him for a breach of medical confidentiality.
Biography
Playfair was born in
In 1857 Playfair entered the
Playfair was shortly elected assistant physician for diseases of women and children at
Playfair introduced the bed rest treatment of Silas Weir Mitchell into the United Kingdom. He was obstetrician to the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Connaught.
He received honorary doctorates from the universities of Edinburgh (1898) and St Andrews (1885). He was made an honorary fellow of the
In 1863 he became MRCP and in 1870 was elected FRCP.[2]
After a suffering a stroke in Florence in 1903, Playfair returned home to St Andrews and died there on 13 August 1903. He was buried there in the new (eastern) cemetery in the town, against the central dividing wall (near the large monument to John Tulloch). He had become a leading obstetrician in the United Kingdom, and was among the first not hand over obstetric operations to general surgeons. A sum was collected to found a memorial to him in the new King's College Hospital at Denmark Hill, London.[2]
Linda Kitson case
In 1896 an action was brought against Playfair by a patient, Linda Kitson, for an alleged breach of professional confidence. It is notable for the high damages of £12,000 awarded against him by the jury; this amount was then reduced by agreement to £9,200 on application for a new trial.[3]
Playfair, who was related to Kitson by marriage (
Works
Playfair was a prolific author, and wrote:[2]
- Handbook of Obstetric Operations, 1865.
- Science and Practice of Midwifery, 1876; 9th edit. 1898, translated into several languages.
- Notes on the Systematic Treatment of Nerve Prostration and Hysteria connected with Uterine Disease, 1881.
He was joint editor with Clifford Allbutt of a System of Gynæcology (1896; 2nd edition revised by Thomas Watts Eden, 1906). He contributed to Richard Quain's Dictionary of Medicine (1882) the article on "Diseases of the Womb", and to Daniel Hack Tuke's Dictionary of Psychological Medicine (1892) the article on "Functional Neuroses". His work in medical periodicals included 49 papers for the Transactions of the Obstetrical Society.[2]
Family
On 26 April 1864 Playfair married Emily, daughter of
References
- ^ Playfair, William Smoult (1856). "Calculus of the bladder among the natives of India: with statistical tables compiled from the half yearly reports of the Government Charitable Dispensaries in Bengal and an analysis of 115 urinary calculi extracted from natives".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35541. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Playfair, William Smoult". Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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