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Eighteenth century surgeons?

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  • Eighteenth century surgeons?

    Rather to my surprise, I've discovered a surgeon in my tree (makes a change from shoemakers and ag labs!). He signs the initials L.S. after his name - does anyone know what that stands for?

    I've been googling to try to discover more but there doesn't seem to be much online.

  • #2
    Pure guess...

    Licentiate Surgeon


    See the 'History' bit!

    Chris
    Avatar....My darling mum, Irene June Robinson nee Pearson 1931-2019.

    'Take nothing on its looks, take everything on evidence. There is no better rule' Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.

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    • #3
      Cassells Dictionary of Abbreviations shows is as
      "Licentiate in Surgery".
      Matt
      My avatar is my fathers father,name unknown.............................

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      • #4
        Are you sure it is LS?

        Mid 18 century Surgeons and Barbers were members of the same Union/Guild. Barbers performed minor operations with surgeons performing more serious ones. In 1744 the Surgeons held a meeting at Court in London expressing a desire to be separated from Barbers and submitted a bill to Parliament which was accepted. May 1744 Barbers and Surgeons separated. Surgeons were now known by the title of Company of Surgeons and had their first meeting July 1745.

        Could the letters be CS and not LS?

        Janet
        Last edited by Janet; 25-03-12, 17:50.

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        • #5
          Thank you very much, everyone. It's definitely LS - Licentiate Surgeon or Licentiate in Surgery would make sense.

          It sounds as if he was practising just at the point when surgery became more 'respectable', but I'm guessing training would still be more of an apprenticeship rather than at a college that would have records - I'll have to do some more digging.

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          • #6
            As it was a Union/Guild in the 1700's, then yes it would be an apprenticeship. That was the way they learnt their trade by working with senior members. On the other hand Licentiate would appear to mean having a degree in that specific subject. The only surgeon I have found in my own FH was a Scottish Surgeon who learnt his trade by apprenticeship in the late 1700's. But who subsequently went on to finish a particular area of his interest at Edinburgh University by the beginning of the 1800's.

            Janet
            Last edited by Janet; 25-03-12, 18:06.

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            • #7
              That's interesting, Janet. My man was a lot wealthier than I'd expected (his will describes all his silver plate, plus he leaves £700 to each child and entailed land to his eldest son) so it's not impossible that he had some kind of University training.

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              • #8
                There is a lot on this website about Licentiate:




                Just scroll down the page a little. Very interesting material.

                Janet

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                • #9
                  Thanks for the link. I'll have a read.

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                  • #10
                    Also found this through the Guildhall Library London.



                    2. Surgeons
                    The term 'surgeon' traditionally described a person who performed operations with the use of surgical instruments. However some surgeons, particularly in the 19th century, also worked in other areas of medical practice. Surgeons in London and the vicinity between the early 16th and mid 18th centuries can often be traced at Guildhall Library, in the records of the Barber-Surgeons' company or in ecclesiastical licensing records (see the first part of this leaflet).
                    For information about surgeons, whether in London or elsewhere, who belonged to the Company of Surgeons, 1745-1800, or the Royal College of Surgeons (of England), 1801-date, application should be made to the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE (email library@rcseng.ac.uk; telephone 020 7869 6555). Please note that anyone wishing to consult historical material must make an appointment in advance: at least one day's prior notice is required. Biographies of fellows (but not other members) of the college 1843-1973 can be found in D Power, Plarr's Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons, 5 vols. (1930-81), available at Guildhall Library and many other reference libraries.

                    However, many individuals who called themselves surgeons (particularly those outside London, before the 19th century) did not belong to the company or the college. Some surgeons, particularly those in Scotland, may have belonged to a Scottish college. Enquiries about members of the Scottish colleges should be made to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, 234-42 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, or to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh.

                    Guildhall Library also has records of those surgeons who obtained the licentiateship of the Society of Apothecaries, 1815-1954: see the first part of this leaflet.

                    Janet
                    Last edited by Janet; 25-03-12, 20:44.

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                    • #11
                      Very interesting. I think I'll have to find out a bit more about my man to see if I can identify where he might have been trained.

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