Plimmer , Henry George , 1856-1918 , bacteriologist

Henry George Plimmer was born in 1856, in Melksham, Whitshire, the son of Dr George Plimmer. Educated at Devizes, and Shaw House School. Following the death of his father, and stepfather, Plimmer was employed as a clerk at the Coalbrookdale Company in Ironbridge, Shropshire. He abandoned a business career however, and found employment in 1878, as an unqualified assistant to Dr J H Galton, who had once been his father's assistant, at Norwood, London. He was a student at Guy's Hospital 1878-1883.
He qualified LSA in 1882 and MRCS in 1883. In 1885, he became a partner of Drs Turner and Galton, but, retired from practice in 1892 to devote himself to bacteriology and research. From 1892 to 1894, Plimmer worked with Armand Ruffer at the College of Surgeons. Plimmer was appointed Pathologist to the Cancer Hospital in 1894, until 1898 when he became Bacteriologist to St Mary's Hospital, as well as Pathologist and Lecturer on Pathology. He resigned from St Mary's in 1902, to take up the direction of the Cancer Laboratories at the Lister Institute. He extended the sphere of his pathological work in 1907, taking up the studies of Pathologist to the Zoological Gardens until 1917. Published many papers relating to Cancer and trypanosomiasis in particular.
He was the Chair of Comparative Pathology at Imperial College of Science and Technology from 1917-1918.Elected Fellow of the Royal Society, 1910; President of the Royal Microscopical Society, 1911-1912, served on many scientific committees, including the War Office Tetanus Committee, 1916, and later the Trench Fever Committee. He was also a member of the Sydenham District Medical Society, from 1887; Medical Research Club, 1894-1911; Physiological Society, 1894-1913; Linnean Society, Royal medical and Chirugical and Royal Society of Medicine, The Royal Institution; and Association of Economic Biologists.
He married in 1887, Bertha Helena Aders, widow of Alfred Aders. He died on 22 Jun 1918.
Publications: Numerous articles in the Lancet, British Medical Journal, Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, British Gynaecological Journal.