Sir James Sawyer (11 August 1844 – 19 January 1919)"Sir James Sawyer". history.rcplondon.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2022. was a British physician and cancer researcher famous in his day as a public educator in health matters, an early proponent of "daily habits".
Childhood in Carlisle James Sawyer was born in Carlisle on 11 August 1844, probably at 23 Fisher Street, above his father’s chemist shop. His father (also called James) had bought the business two years earlier from a man about to go bankrupt. Discovering it was for sale while working in a chemist’s shop at Ross-on-Wye, he promptly married Anne George, the daughter of a saddler, and returned to Carlisle.HO 107, piece 421, book 17, folio 17, page 13.
James and Anne’s chemist shop stood near the Old King’s Head, run by James’s father (another James).HO 107, piece 176, book 3, folio 10, p.15; HO 107, piece 2430, folio 70, p.3. Born in Martlesham, Suffolk, he had joined the Chestnut Troop of the Royal Artillery, which fought in many battles of the Peninsular War and at Waterloo.He was born at Martlesham, Suffolk, in about 1785 (HO 107, piece 2430, folio 70, p.3); he married Elizabeth Ealing at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 27 April 1816; and his son, James, was born in Sussex in about 1817 (HO 107, piece 2430, folio 70, p. 2). After the war, his commanding officer, Sir Hew Dalrymple Ross, married a Cumberland heiress and moved to Stonehouse in the parish of Hayton, eight miles from Carlisle. As he cared about Sawyer’s welfare and often visited him, he was probably instrumental in Sawyer's move to Carlisle in the 1820s. In the town, Sawyer was celebrated as a Waterloo veteran and almost certainly shared stories of his wartime exploits with his young grandson, James. Information about James’s early years is scarce. He was lucky to survive childhood, as child mortality in the city was high. Three of his six siblings died as children, and six of his father’s ten siblings also died young.The six children who died young were Martha (b. 1828), Dinah (b. 1831), Michael Thomas (b. 1834), Richard Thomas (b.1834), John (b.1835) and Elizabeth Ann (b. 1842).
The five children who attained adulthood were James (1817-1875), Eliza Mary (c.1830-1883), Sarah (c 1831-1916), Maria (1838-1901) and Caroline (1839-1904). He may have attended Carlisle Grammar School, as his father donated one pound to its extension fund in 1851. By age sixteen, he worked as an apprentice in his father’s shop.RG9, piece 3918, folio 60, p.11. Then, in October 1861, his life changed radically.
His father’s sister, Sarah, was probably responsible for this change. In November 1854, she married Walter John Breach Scott, a man of exceptional ability who advanced rapidly in business. From being the manager of the refreshment room at Carlisle Station, he became the manager and then the business owner of the Queen’s Hotel, Birmingham. He soon became wealthy and, at his death in 1869, he left an estate worth £30,000.His estate at death was valued at £30,000 (England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, will proved at Worcester on 31 July 1869).
Sarah used her newly acquired wealth and influence to help her family. In 1860, she arranged for her parents and her sisters, Maria and Caroline, to move to Birmingham to live in her country residence at Sparkhill.James Sawyer retired from the Old King's Head in 1854 after 28 years (Carlisle Journal, 16 June 1854 p.1). He bought a house at 34 Cecil Street, Carlisle, where he lived until 1860 (his will dated 14 May 1859, proved at Birmingham 19 December 1863).RG9, piece 2215, folio 48, p.12. Her mother died at Sparkhill in 1861, and her father in 1863.
In 1861, she probably helped her nephew, James, move to Birmingham to train as a doctor. In addition to having the financial means, she had the right connections, as her husband was a generous supporter of the Queen’s Hospital and served on its board.When James Sawyer was elected a Warneford Scholar in 1863, the local newspaper described him as the "nephew of Mr. Walter J. B. Scott, of this town." ("The Queen's College", Birmingham Journal, 7 March 1863, p.6)
Medical career in Birmingham
Student of Medicine at Queen's College In October 1861, James began his studies in the medical department at Queen College, Birmingham. Knowing no Latin or Greek, he worked hard to learn the languages, completing extra exercises during the Christmas and Easter holidays and sending them to his Classics Professor.
His efforts paid off. In August 1862, he achieved five first prizes: mathematics, anatomy, botany, chemistry, and French. In March 1863, he won a Warneford scholarship and, in making the award, the College Council praised him for his classical learning and gentlemanly conduct. More medals and certificates followed, including practical chemistry in 1863, midwifery in 1864, and physiology in 1865.
Queen’s College awarded degrees through the University of London. In January 1863, James passed, in the first division, the entrance examination for his medical degree. In 1866, he passed the diploma to become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In November 1867, he passed, in the first division, his Bachelor of Medicine examination, achieving first-class honours in medicine. In 1873, he passed the M. D. examination.
Physician at the Queen's Hospital On 20 December 1867, he became the resident physician at Queen’s Hospital. Also acting as a Medical Tutor, he remained in the post until October 1871, when he resigned to commence in private practice.
However, his connections to the hospital continued. From 1871 to 1889, he was an Honorary Physician and, from 1889, a Consulting Physician.
Private consultant, Professor at Queen's College and writer From 1871 until 1913, he ran a large and lucrative private practice, eventually retiring on health grounds.
He held three Professorships at Queen's College. Professor of Pathology from 1875 to 1878; Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics from 1878 to 1885; and Professor of Medicine from 1885 to 1891.
While a resident physician at the Queen's Hospital, he wrote a book to help medical students diagnose diseases of the lungs and heart.
In 1872, he and some friends established the Birmingham Medical Review, which he edited for six years. I In 1886, he published a collection of essays that had previously appeared in medical journals as Contributions to Practical Medicine. In 1889, he published Notes on Medical Education, a book based on his lectures.
He was awarded a fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians in 1883 and the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1891.
In 1885, he was elected president of the Birmingham and Midland Counties Branch of the British Medical Association.
In 1894, Lady Sawyer presented her husband's portrait, painted by Vivian Crome, to the General Committee of the Queen's Hospital.
In 1897, Sawyer shared the secret of longevity with a Birmingham audience. It rested, he maintained, on paying attention to nineteen small details. If people observed his rules, he could see no reason they should not live to be 100.
In 1908, Sawyer delivered the Lumleian Lecture at the Royal College of Physicians ("Points of Practice in Maladies of the Heart").
Cancer research
In 1900, Sawyer argued that the increased cancer rate in England and Wales was due to the excessive consumption of red meat.Proctor, Robert. (1995). Cancer Wars: How Politics Shapes What We Know and Don't Know About Cancer. Basic Books. p. 33. He suggested in his 1912 book Coprostasis that colorectal cancer was practically unknown amongst agricultural labourers because they worked in fields and had the opportunity to defecate in the natural squatting position.Horton, James C. (2000). Inner Hygiene: Constipation and the Pursuit of Health in Modern Society. Oxford University Press. p. 204.
Political activism
Sawyer and his wife were active in local politics, working strenuously for the Conservative Party.Diana Elaine, Sheets, "British Conservatism and the Primrose League: the Changing Character of Popular Politics, 1883-1901", Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Columbia University, 1986, p.280.
Their activism began in Ladywood in the Central Division, one of the seven new divisions set up by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Like many others, they had been attracted to work for the party by the "caucus" of clubs and committees operating at the grassroots level.
Sawyer and his wife soon adopted leadership roles. In September 1885, Sawyer was elected president of the Ladywood Conservative Club. By February 1886, he was president of the Ladywood Working Men's Conservative Club, a position he held for eight years. Lady Sawyer founded the Ladywood Habitation of the Primrose League in 1886 and served as its ruling councillor until 1914.
In November and December 1885, Sawyer played a prominent role in supporting Lord Randolph Churchill's bid to become M.P. for Central Birmingham. On 18 November 1885, Churchill and his wife visited Sawyer's home at Edgbaston to meet female party workers. Churchill lost to the sitting candidate, John Bright, but only by a narrow margin.
In November 1885, Queen Victoria gave him a knighthood because of his distinguished position in the medical profession and his services to the Queen's Hospital. His nomination for the honour came from Lord Randolph Churchill, who wished to reward him for his political campaigning and boost his future political appeal.
In April 1886, Sawyer was elected president of the Birmingham Conservative Association. In November 1886, he was elected chairman of the newly formed Midland Counties' Union of Conservative Associations.
In 1889, Sawyer was at the centre of a storm when local politics clashed with Westminster politics. The dispute was about which candidate the Conservatives should support in the by-election caused by the death of John Bright. The party leaders in Westminster supported Bright's son, while Sawyer and many others wished Churchill to stand again. After Balfour visited the city in April 1889, the local Conservative association chose Bright's son.
Four weeks after the election, Sawyer resigned as president of the Birmingham Conservative Association. However, he remained a member of the B.C.A.
Sawyer actively supported the Conservative Party until his health declined in 1913.
Other interests
Charity work In 1890, Sawyer was chairman of the Magdalen Home and Refuge, the General Institution for the Blind, and the Ladies' Association for the Care of Friendless Girls. In 1899, he was appointed Vice-President of the Midland Counties' Home for Incurables.
In 1910, he was on the committee elected to build a sanatorium to commemorate the late Edward VII and in 1911, he helped organise Birmingham's Coronation festivities. He also supported the Birmingham Medical Benevolent Society.
In 1910, Lady Sawyer became actively involved in the British Red Cross and hosted many meetings at Haseley Hall. Her husband shared her enthusiasm and said, in 1911, that if war broke out, he would allow the Red Cross to use his residence.
He was also a Freemason. and a magistrate.
Church activities Sawyer served as Rector's warden at Haseley from 1892 to 1913, and Lady Sawyer and her daughters held rummage sales to support the village church. Sawyer was also actively involved in creating the new Diocese of Birmingham from the scheme's inception.
Historical interests
He was interested in heraldry and researched and made the arms of Sir William Harvey, which he presented to the Royal College of Physicians in 1910. He also devised a coat of arms for his family. In 1901, the Society of Antiquaries elected him as a fellow for his archaeological work and research into Haseley's history and Shakespeare's heraldry.
He was an early member of the Birmingham and District Society of East Anglians, formed in 1906, and served as president.