Dr W G Grace: Cricketer and General Practitioner

Abstract

During the winters of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Dr W G Grace - undeniably the most famous cricketer in the world (Figure 1) - went about his business in Bristol as a family doctor in one of the city's poorer areas. Though instantly recognizable by the Victorian public, his professional activities were unhindered by the press, by his cricketing admirers or by his sporting colleagues. Such a situation is now scarcely credible when lesser sporting heroes are pursued and harassed by the ubiquitous press and media, eager for trivia, tittle-tattle, and salacious gossip. Nevertheless, William Gilbert Grace (WG) was able to pursue two separate and entirely different careers. The first, his cricketing life, was crowned with spectacular sporting success and erratic financial rewards; the second, his doctor's life, gave him domestic security and stability, and the means to enjoy his sport. For him life was topsy-turvy, with cricket as his profession and medicine as his hobby.