Thomas Addison

Thomas Addison was born in April 1793, at Long Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, the son of Sarah and Joseph Addison a grocer and flour dealer.  

He attended the Royal Free Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, and became so proficient in Latin he used the language in note taking throughout his career. His parents strived to provide him with the best education they could afford and a social status much higher than their own. 

 In 1812 Thomas began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh and in August 1815 moved to London to continue his studies. In 1820 he enrolled as a pupil at Guys Hospital in London and remained there for the rest of his career as a physician and lecturer.  

He was a skilled diagnostician and lecturer respected by students and colleagues.  

Addison first identified adrenal failure in around 1850. He worked a lot with patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB) and noticed they often went on to have dark skin and vomiting followed by weight loss, weakness and ultimately death.  

He studied the bodies and realised this set of symptoms was caused by failure of the adrenal glands. At the time no one knew what the adrenal glands were, but Addisons’ pioneering work showed that they were essential for life.  

His research in this area led to two conditions being named after him, Addisons Disease and Addisons (pernicious) anaemia.  

Nowadays TB is much less common, and destruction of the adrenal glands more commonly occurs through autoimmune disorders. 

Towards the end of his life Addison suffered from periods of clinical depression and on the 29th June 1860 he committed suicide by jumping out of a building.  

Guys Hospital has a bust of him, a hall named in his honour and a marble wall table in his memory. He is known as one of the Great Men of Guys hospital.