Samuel Jones Gee

Samuel Jones Gee

1839-1911

Vol IV

Pg 183

b.13 September 1839 d.3 August 1911

MB Lond(1861) MD MRCS FRCP(1870)

Samuel Gee was born in London, the son of William Gee by his wife Lydia Sutton. He received his education at Enfield and at University College School and his professional training at University College, London, graduating as M.B. in 1861. He served as house surgeon both at University College Hospital and at the Hospital for Sick Children, and was made assistant physician at Great Ormond Street in 1866. Two years later he received the same appointment at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, where he became full physician in 1878, and acted as demonstrator of morbid anatomy (1870-74), lecturer on pathological anatomy (1872-78) and lecturer on medicine (1878-93). He was also prominent in the affairs of the Royal College of Physicians, being Goulstonian Lecturer in 1871, Bradshaw Lecturer in 1892 and Lumleian Lecturer in 1899, as well as Senior Censor. He was appointed Physician to the Prince of Wales (later King George V) in 1901.

Gee was not a prolific writer, but his Auscultation and Percussion (1870) was recognised as a minor classic in its day, and a collection of his Medical Lectures and Aphorisms (1902) by Horder won almost equal recognition at a later date. He was the first to identify coeliac disease. His works bore evidence of a deep knowledge of the history of medicine. He was considered one of the most brilliant teachers of his time, despite certain mannerisms which students delighted to mimic. A shy man with few social graces, he attained his position by sheer hard work and an accurate judgment. He married in 1875 Sarah, daughter of Emmanuel Cooper, Robert Bridges being his best man; there were two daughters of the marriage.

G H Brown

[Lancet, 1911; B.M.J., 1911; Moore, ii, 577; D.N.B., 2nd Suppl, ii, 91; St. Bart.'s Hospital Reports, 1938, lxxi, 229-79]