Spilsbury , Sir , Bernard Henry , 1877-1947 , Knight , pathologist

Bernard Henry Spilsbury was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire in 1877. He was educated locally and in London and Manchester before entering Magdalen College Oxford, from which he graduated in 1899. He then studied medicine in London, and after qualifying in 1905 earned his living as a forensic pathologist for the rest of his life, often working for the Home Office and as a medical lecturer. He became well known after testifying in several criminal cases, including the notorious Crippen trial (1910) and the 'brides in the bath' case (1915). He was knighted in 1923. Spilsbury's health declined considerably as he aged, particularly after 1940, and he committed suicide in his laboratory at University College London in December 1947.