LSA 1825; MD Leyden 1827; CD Berlin 1828; MRCS 1826, FRCS 1845.
Edward Stephens was born in 1804, the nephew of Joseph Jordan, and was apprenticed to Jordan in 1819. He was the brother of James Stephens (see below). Stephens attended lectures at the Literary and Philosophical Society in Manchester and in 1824 was a student at Joshua Brook's school of anatomy in London. Stephens qualified as an apothecary in 1825, but then went on to study in Europe and gained degrees in Leyden and Berlin. From 1829, Stephens was in general practice in Bridge Street, close by to Joseph Jordan and his dissecting room, library and museum. During the cholera outbreak of 1832, Stephens saw the first case. Stephens became known for his accurate an extensive knowledge of anatomy, especially of the brain and the nervous system. He was demonstrator in anatomy for many years, first at Mount Street School and then at the Royal School of Medicine. He was lecturer on anatomy and physiology with Joseph Jordan at Mount Street School from 1828 to 1834, when he became lecturer in pathology and morbid anatomy at Royal School of Medicine, a position he resigned in 1851 due to ill health. Stephens was consultant surgeon to Manchester and Salford Lying-in Hospital from 1830 until his death, and gained a reputation as a skilled gynaecologist and obstetrician. Stephens was on the first council of Manchester Medical Society in 1834. He was also a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and of the Royal Medical Chirurgical Society of London. Stephens died on 14 September 1863 and was buried at Ardwick Cemetery, Manchester.