Edward Headlam Greenhow

Edward Headlam Greenhow was born in 1814 in North Shields. He followed his father, grandfather and uncle into the medical profession graduating from Edinburgh and Montpellier before entering into partnership with his father, practicing in North Shields and Tynemouth for eighteen years.  

His work as Chairmen of the Board of Health at Tynemouth led to great improvements to the towns’ sanitation and drainage.  

He later studied at for his M.D at Aberdeen and, on completion, moved to London to practice. In 1855 became a lecturer on public health at St Thomas’s Hospital. He was also employed by the Board of Health and the Privy Council carrying out pioneering work on the causes and classification of mortality which led to administrative reforms brought in by the Public Health At of 1858. 

He continued to practice clinically and in 1861 joined staff of Middlesex Hospital as assistant physician. He later became Dean of the Medical School then lead physician, lecturer, treasure and chairman. One of the wards at Middlesex Hospital is named after him. In addition to this he also found time to serve on various Royal Commissions, become a Croonian Lecturer on Addisons Disease and a Censor at the Royal College of Physicians.  

For his scientific work in sanitation and medicine he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. 

He married twice, firstly in 1842 to the widow of W. Barnard esq with whom he had one son, the Rev. Edward Greenhow, before her death in 857.  His second marriage to Eliza, daughter of Joseph Hume M.P, resulted in two daughters before she died in 1878.  

Greenhow retired in 1881 to Reigate, Surrey and died suddenly at Charring Cross Station on 22nd November 1888.