Henry Wentworth Acland (1815-1900)

Sir Henry Wentworth Dyke Acland was the fourth son of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland. He was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, and was elected a fellow of All Souls in 1841. He was appointed Lee's reader in anatomy in 1845, and went on to take his M.D at Oxford in 1848. Ten years later he was appointed Regis Professor of Medicine and became Radcliffe Librarian.

He represented the University of Oxford on the General Council of Medical Education and Registration between 1858 and 1875, later going on to serve as President of both the Council and the British Medical Association. Acland was appointed as knight officer of the imperial order of the Rose by the emperor of Brazil, awarded honorary degrees at Cambridge, Dublin, Durham, and Edinburgh, and memberships of academies and societies throughout the world. He was also elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1847.

Acland accompanied the Prince of Wales on a visit to America in 1860, as his medical attendant, and was appointed honorary physician to the Prince. Between 1872 and 1876 he also served as physician and unofficial mentor to Prince Leopold whilst he was a student at Oxford. His loyalty to the royal family was rewarded and he was made CB in 1883, KCB in 1884, and in 1890 Queen Victoria made him a baronet.

Even though he had an eye removed in 1888, and suffered from increasing deafness as he grew older, he retained his roles as Regis Professor and Radcliffe Librarian until 1894 and 1900 respectively. His long declining health finally got the better of him in October 1900.

At Wellcome Collection:

The RAMC collection contains material by Acland relating to th Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley.