1811-1870

British Physician

James Young Simpson was one of the most prominent British physicians of his time. His contributions included many published papers and pamphlets, new surgical procedures, and obstetric forceps still in use today. Simpson campaigned for improvements in medical practice, education, and the design of hospitals. His practice was so well known that patients came from continental Europe to see him. Simpson also discovered and promoted chloroform's anesthetic properties and its use in obstetrics.

Simpson was born on June 7, 1811, in Bathgate, a village between the large Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was the eighth child of David Simpson, a baker, and Mary Jarvis Simpson; the latter died when he was nine years old. Simpson attended a local school and showed enough promise by age 14 that his family scraped together enough money to send him 18 miles away to the University of...