Buxton, Dudley Wilmot (1855-1931), anaesthetist

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 anaesthetcis. 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 Hopital for Women, Soho Square; the King George V Hospital (during the First World War) and the 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.

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).

J.T. Clover and D.W. Buxton: index to correspondents

A unified index has been compiled to selected correspondents in the Clover and Buxton papers (MSS.1423-1426, 1684-1694, MS.5461 and 6942-6951).

Alderton (Thomas Grunton), anaesthetist, West London Hospital. Letter to Clover, n.d., MS.5461/50

Allingham (William), surgeon, London. Letter to Clover, 1876. MS.5461/44

Blandy (Henry), dental surgeon, Nottingham. Letter to Clover, 1874. MS.5461/34

Bowles (Robert Leamon), surgeon, Folkestone. Letter to Clover, 1880. MS.5461/45

Braine (Francis Woodhouse), anaesthetist, London. Letter to Clover, 1869. MS.5461/11

British Medical Assocation. Letter to Clover, 1875. MS.5461/38

Buller (Frank), Senior House Surgeon, Moorfields Hospital. Letter to Clover, 1874. MS.5461/35

Cadge (William), surgeon, Norwich. Letter to Clover, 1876. MS.5461/39

Charlesworth (Joseph Rhodes), Rector of Elstead, Surrey. Letter to Buxton, 1883. MS.5461/64

Coleman (Alfred), dental surgeon, London. Letter to Clover, 1869. MS.5461/9

Crichett (George), ophthalmic surgeon. Letter to W. Offrey Forrester, 1871. MS.5461/22

Cubitt (George Robert), surgeon, Stroud. Letter to Clover, 1862. MS.5461/1

Evans (Thomas Wiltberger), American anaesthetist. Letter to Clover, 1869. MS.5461/7

Harris (William), surgeon, Shrewsbury. Letter to Clover, 1875. MS.5461/37

Hepburn (Robert), President of the Odontological Society. Correspondence with Clover, 1870.

MS.5461/17