Papers of: Buxton, Dudley Wilmot (1855-1931)

Scope and Content

Material comprises typescript papers by Buxton on anaesthesia and dentistry, and notes by Buxton on The muscles of the human body grouped according to their action, with their vascular and nervous supply , C J Manning and F H Elliot (London: H K Lewis, 1875).

Administrative / Biographical History

Dudley Wilmot Buxton, born in 1855, was educated at University College London and University College Hospital, qualifying MB and BS in 1882 and MD in 1883. He held residents posts at UCH, and worked with Sydney Ringer, Professor of Medicine at University College. At this time, their work concerned the action of certain drugs on the heart. However, from 1885 Buxton confined his work to anaesthetics. In 1901 the British Medical Association appointed him Honorary Secretary of the Special Chloroform Committee, which presented its final report in 1910. During his career he worked in anaesthetics at the National Hospital, Queen Square; the Hospital for Women, Soho Square; the King George V Hospital (during the First World War) and latterly at UCH and The Royal Dental Hospital. He retired in 1919.

Buxton's influence was considerable: he believed that every doctor entering practice should have a competent knowledge of anaesthetics, a subject that had not been taught until the end of the nineteeth century. He married Louisa Clarke in 1884 and they had three sons. Buxton died on 28 June 1931.

Arrangement

MS.1423 is an unbound copy of The muscles of the human body grouped according to their action, with their vascular and nervous supply , C J Manning and F H Elliot (London: H K Lewis, 1875), with annotations by Buxton; MSS.1424-1426 comprise Buxton's synopses and drafts for lectures on anaesthetics and typescript drafts for the history of dentistry and the story of anaesthesia.

Access Information

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

Acquisition Information

From the Dudley Buxton collection: MSS.1423-1425 presented 1935 and MS.1426 presented 1937 (acc. 79763).

Other 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).

Archivist's Note

description compiled by Annie Lindsay based upon those in the Library's published finding aids by S.A.J. Moorat and the BMJ, vol 2, p 37, 4 July 1931 (London : British Medical Association).

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Related Material

Material held by Archives and Manuscripts, Wellcome Library: Clover, Joseph Thomas (1825-1882) and Buxton, Dudley Wilmot (1855-1931) (MS.5461); Clover, Joseph Thomas (1825-1882) (MSS. 1684-1694 and 6942-6951); Dick-Read, Grantly (1890-1959) (PP/GDR); Macintosh, Sir Robert, FRCSE,FFARCS (1897-1989) (PP/RRM, MS.8225); British Medical Association (SA/BMA); Medical Women's Federation (f.1916) (SA/MWF); Cooke, Arthur, MB, BCh, FRCS (1869-1933) (GC/39); University Of London Audio-visual Centre (GC/170); Scharlieb, (later Shirley) Herbert J, CMG, MD, FRCS (1868-1943) (GC/190); Hall, 'Sam' Vernon F, CVO (1904-1998) (GC/203); Stout, Robert James (b.1917), FRCS (GC/226); Travelling Surgical Society (f.1924) (SA/TSS); Axham, Frederick William, MRCS, LRCP (1840-1926) (MS. 7845); Hickman, Henry Hill MRCS (1800-1830) (MS.7625); Franklin, Alfred White (1905-1984) (MSS. 5639-5641).