Thomas Vernon Bell 1824 – 1905
Thomas Vernon Bell 1824 – 1905 MD Edinburgh 1858, Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, was an orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy to become a member of the British Homeopathic Society, a member of the Medical Council of the London Homeopathic Hospital,
Bell was a colleague of Rocco Rubini and gave personal testimony to the efficacy of his homeopathic cures of cholera,
Bell practiced at 17 William Street, London,
In 1858, Bell was joined in consultation by an allopath Dr. Fergusson, much to the consternation of The Lancet,
Bell submitted cases and articles to various homeopathic publications,
Of interest:
John Crawford Bell LSA London 1825, was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy and practiced at Princes Street, Norwich, and at 93 High Street Lowestoft,
Sue :: Dec.15.2009 :: British History :: 3 Comments »
Dr VERNON BELL
His full name was THOMAS VERNON BELL. Born in Scotland in 1824, he died in Brighton in 1905. In 1856, he married MARIANNE WITHERINGTON FERNIE, the daughter of EBENEEZER FERNIE and MARY WAUGH, the ceremony taking place at St George’s, Hanover Square. She was 43 years old when they married, and the Doctor’s senior by eleven years. THOMAS VERNON BELL graduated from Edinburgh University as an MD in 1858, and was registered to practice in 1859. He was also a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In the Census for 1901, he appears as “VERNON BELL”, Physician (retired), aged 76 (St Leonard Parish, administrative county of Hastings). His birthplace is given as Scotland. By this time, it appears that MARIANNE had died, and a new wife appears in the record as CONSTANCE BELL, aged 46, some thirty years younger than the Doctor, and also born in Scotland. The Doctor and his Wife were looked after by four servants, including a cook, a parlourmaid, a housemaid, and an under-housemaid. The first three were in their twenties, and the under-housemaid was sixteen years of age.
John L B Bell
Hi John
Thank you so much for taking the time to correct my data, and to provide this additional information about his domestic life.
I have changed the DOB/DOD and added his Licentiate, but have chosen to leave the last word to you in the comments box about his married life, rather than simply cut and paste your info into my blog.
What a great window into the past these details are – I just wish we could ask them face to face – about so very much…..
Sue
Dear Sue,
I am so pleased to know that the slender information I sent was useful. Dr Thomas Vernon Bell has become the subject of my research, and I hope to be able to send you further information by and by. I have ordered some official records, and the information will be passed on. The Licentiate and other educational details are given in “The Medical Register” for 1883, page 126. This confirms your detail about his address, which is given as “*17, William Street, Lowndes Square, London S.W.”
I am not sure that I was right about Brighton, but when I get his death certificate, I will know for certain where he died. In James Paterson’s little book on genealogy, Thomas Vernon appears without the “Thomas”, and I am assuming that he simply liked to be called “Vernon”. That census result for 1901 has him as “Vernon Bell”, physician (retired), and this might confirm it. At that time, he was living at 14, Highlands Gardens in the parish of St Leonard’s, and it is possible that he died there some four years later. All will be revealed when the papers reach me. You are quite right about the mystery of the matrimonial details, and like you, I feel there is much more to all of this than meets the eye.
John
*Did he begin his professional life at this address ?