GB 0120 MSS.1456-1499 and 6931-6941 - Cantlie, Sir James (1851-1926)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0120 MSS.1456-1499 and 6931-6941

Title

Cantlie, Sir James (1851-1926)

Date(s)

  • 1874-1923 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

55 items (volumes, files or bundles of papers)

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Sir James Cantlie was born in 1851 in Banffshire. He took his first degree at Aberdeen University and carried out his clinical training at Charing Cross Hospital, London. In 1877 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and Assistant Surgeon to Charing Cross Hospital; in 1886 he became Surgeon at Charing Cross. In 1888 he resigned to take up a position as Dean of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (where the future Chinese leader Sun Yat Sen was one of his pupils), combining his work here with private surgical practice. His work during these years included investigations into leprosy and into various tropical diseases; in 1894 he encountered an outbreak of plague in Hong Kong. In 1897 he returned to London, where he was involved in the setting up of the Journal of Tropical Medicine in 1898 and of the London School of Tropical Medicine in 1899. He was President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. During the early years of the twentieth century and particularly during the First World War his work centred on the provision and training of ambulance services. He died in 1926.

Archival history

GB 0120 MSS.1456-1499 and 6931-6941 1874-1923 Collection (fonds) 55 items (volumes, files or bundles of papers) Cantlie , Sir , James , 1851-1926 , Knight , surgeon

Sir James Cantlie was born in 1851 in Banffshire. He took his first degree at Aberdeen University and carried out his clinical training at Charing Cross Hospital, London. In 1877 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and Assistant Surgeon to Charing Cross Hospital; in 1886 he became Surgeon at Charing Cross. In 1888 he resigned to take up a position as Dean of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (where the future Chinese leader Sun Yat Sen was one of his pupils), combining his work here with private surgical practice. His work during these years included investigations into leprosy and into various tropical diseases; in 1894 he encountered an outbreak of plague in Hong Kong. In 1897 he returned to London, where he was involved in the setting up of the Journal of Tropical Medicine in 1898 and of the London School of Tropical Medicine in 1899. He was President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. During the early years of the twentieth century and particularly during the First World War his work centred on the provision and training of ambulance services. He died in 1926.

Presented by Major Neil Cantlie, 1931 (accession numbers 69762, 89186).

MSS.1456-1499 comprise chiefly drafts of essays and papers by Cantlie, spanning his entire career but with the bulk (MSS.1461-1486) dating from his years in Hong Kong. The subject is generally tropical medicine; diseases discussed include leprosy, dropsy, kala-azar, beri-beri, cholera and malaria, with particular emphasis upon leprosy. Worth individual notice are MSS.1456, in which Cantlie describes a case of blood poisoning that he acquired in the dissecting room at Charing Cross Hospital; MS.1459, commemorating the military surgeon Paul Bennett Conolly (died at Khartoum on the Gordon Relief Expedition of 1885); 1461, 1466 and 1463, two diaries and a cashbook respectively to do with his Hong Kong medical practice; 1469, a fragment of a register of patients in the Hong Kong Hospital; 1480-1481, casebooks compiled in Hong Kong; 1489, a dummy copy of the first edition of the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, founded by Cantlie; and 1499, a collection of questionnaire responses relating to the life history of Eurasian "half-castes" in which Cantlie is one of many respondents drawn from the western fringes of the Pacific (China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand). MSS.6931-6941 contain correspondence, personal and travel papers, medical notes, printed material (including much material relating to papers published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene), illustrative material and certificates, the last also including items relating to other members of Cantlie's family.

MSS.1456-1499 are arranged in chronological order of composition with the exception of the final item (MS.1499, a collection of questionnaire responses relating to the life history of Eurasian "half-castes") which is placed last as Cantlie is only one of many respondents to the survey. MSS.6931-6941 are arranged thematically, as follows: MS.6931, correspondence; MS.6932, personal and travel papers; MSS.6933-6934, medical notes; MSS.6935, printed material, general; MSS.6936-6938, material relating to papers published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, MS.6938 comprising illustrative material; MSS.6939-6940, illustrative material; MS.6941, certificates.

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Photocopies/photographs/microfilm are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds, and that photographs cannot be photocopied in any circumstances. Readers are restricted to 100 photocopies in twelve months. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.
English

holograph manuscripts, typescripts and corrected proofs, held as volumes, files and bundles of papers.

Described in: S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973). Detailed catalogue available at http://www.a2a.pro.gov.uk.

The Wellcome Library holds MS.4780, a collection of reports on cases in the Alice Memorial Hospital, Hong Kong, by John Christopher Thomson (1863-1943) which contains a few contributions by Cantlie; MSS.2934-2935 comprise examination papers by pupils at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (among them the future political leader Sun Yat Sen) kept by Cantlie in his personal papers.

description compiled by Christopher Hilton based upon those in the Library's published finding aid by S.A.J. Moorat and subsequent typescript supplementary finding aids by Richard Aspin, Christopher Hilton, Keith Moore and Richard Palmer. Biographical detail from Plarr's lives of the fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, revised by Sir D'Arcy Power with the assistance of W.G. Spencer and G.E. Gask (London: Royal College of Surgeons of England, 1997). Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. December 2000 Australia Beri-beri Biographies Biology Cantlie , Sir , James , 1851-1926 , Knight , surgeon China Cholera Conolly , Paul Bennett , d 1885 , military surgeon Diseases East Asia Ethnic groups Health Health services Hong Kong Infectious diseases Japan Leishmaniasis Leprosy Literary forms and genres Literature Malaria Medical personnel Medical profession Medical sciences Medical treatment New Zealand Oceania Parasitology Pathology Patients Personnel Physicians Prose Social sciences Social welfare Surgery Therapy Travel Travel abroad Tropical diseases People by occupation People

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Presented by Major Neil Cantlie, 1931 (accession numbers 69762, 89186).

Content and structure area

Scope and content

MSS.1456-1499 comprise chiefly drafts of essays and papers by Cantlie, spanning his entire career but with the bulk (MSS.1461-1486) dating from his years in Hong Kong. The subject is generally tropical medicine; diseases discussed include leprosy, dropsy, kala-azar, beri-beri, cholera and malaria, with particular emphasis upon leprosy. Worth individual notice are MSS.1456, in which Cantlie describes a case of blood poisoning that he acquired in the dissecting room at Charing Cross Hospital; MS.1459, commemorating the military surgeon Paul Bennett Conolly (died at Khartoum on the Gordon Relief Expedition of 1885); 1461, 1466 and 1463, two diaries and a cashbook respectively to do with his Hong Kong medical practice; 1469, a fragment of a register of patients in the Hong Kong Hospital; 1480-1481, casebooks compiled in Hong Kong; 1489, a dummy copy of the first edition of the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, founded by Cantlie; and 1499, a collection of questionnaire responses relating to the life history of Eurasian "half-castes" in which Cantlie is one of many respondents drawn from the western fringes of the Pacific (China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand). MSS.6931-6941 contain correspondence, personal and travel papers, medical notes, printed material (including much material relating to papers published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene), illustrative material and certificates, the last also including items relating to other members of Cantlie's family.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

MSS.1456-1499 are arranged in chronological order of composition with the exception of the final item (MS.1499, a collection of questionnaire responses relating to the life history of Eurasian "half-castes") which is placed last as Cantlie is only one of many respondents to the survey. MSS.6931-6941 are arranged thematically, as follows: MS.6931, correspondence; MS.6932, personal and travel papers; MSS.6933-6934, medical notes; MSS.6935, printed material, general; MSS.6936-6938, material relating to papers published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, MS.6938 comprising illustrative material; MSS.6939-6940, illustrative material; MS.6941, certificates.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Conditions governing reproduction

Photocopies/photographs/microfilm are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds, and that photographs cannot be photocopied in any circumstances. Readers are restricted to 100 photocopies in twelve months. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Described in: S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973). Detailed catalogue available at http://www.a2a.pro.gov.uk.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

The Wellcome Library holds MS.4780, a collection of reports on cases in the Alice Memorial Hospital, Hong Kong, by John Christopher Thomson (1863-1943) which contains a few contributions by Cantlie; MSS.2934-2935 comprise examination papers by pupils at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (among them the future political leader Sun Yat Sen) kept by Cantlie in his personal papers.

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Wellcome Library

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area