George Armstrong has been called both the father and the patron saint of paediatrics. Between 1767 and 1783 he pioneered most of the approaches now applied in modern paediatrics and child health. He also founded in London the first children's dispensary in 1769. Yet for 150 years his remarkable achievements were overlooked until rescued from obscurity in 1954 by an Edinburgh born physician, William Maloney.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
DunnPM. Paediatric pioneers from the Scottish Borders. In: Proceedings of the Bristol Medico-Historical Society.Great Malvern: Capella Archive,2009; vol 2: 1–13.
2.
StillGF. The History of Paediatrics.Oxford: Oxford University Press,1931: 417–25.
3.
MaloneyWJ. George and John Armstrong of Castleton.Edinburgh: E & S Livingstone,1954.
4.
SimpsonAR.Introduction. In: BudinP. The Nursling. The Feeding and Hygiene of Premature and Full-Term Infants.London: The Caxton Publ. Co,1907.
5.
PoynterFNL. Editor's note. In: MaloneyWJ. George and John Armstrong of Castleton.Edinburgh: E & S Livingstone,1954.
6.
McCormackWJ. Dr WJ Maloney, MC of Edinburgh, Gallipoli and New York. In: CoakleyD, O'DohertyM eds. Borderlands. Essays on Literature and Medicine.Dublin: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,2002: 44–59.
7.
BudinP. The Nursling. The Feeding and Hygiene of Premature and Full-Term Infants. Translated by WJ Maloney. London: The Caxton Publishing Company,1907.
8.
DunnPM. Professor Pierré Budin (1846-1907) of Paris, and modern perinatal care.Archives of Disease in Childhood1995; 73: F193–F195.
9.
UnderwoodM. A Treatise on the Diseases of Children; with Directions for the Management of Infants from Birth.London: J Mathews,1784.
10.
ArmstrongG. An Essay on the Diseases Most Fatal to Infants. To which are added: Rules to be observed in the nursing of children: with a particular view of those who are brought up by hand.London: T Cadwell,1767.
11.
ArmstrongG. An Account of the Diseases Most Incident to Children from Birth to the Age of Puberty with a Successful Method of Treating Them. To which is added, An essay on nursing. Also, A general account of the Dispensary for the Infant Poor, from its first institution in 1769 to the present time. To which are added: Rules to be observed in the nursing of children: with a particular view of those who are brought up by hand.London: T Cadwell,1777.
12.
CadoganW. An Essay Upon Nursing and the Management of Children from their Birth to Three Years of Age.London: J Roberts,1748.
13.
DunnPM. Dr William Cadogan (1711-1797) of Bristol and the management of infants.Archives of Disease in Childhood1992; 67: 72–3.
14.
MunkW. The Roll of the Royal College of Physicians of London, Vol. II, 1701-1800.London: RCP(Lon),1878: 183–5.
15.
ArmstrongG. An Account of the Diseases Most Incident to Children, from Birth to the Age of Puberty; with a Successful Method of Treating them.London: T Cadwell,1783.
16.
BuchanW. Domestic Medicine or a Treatise on the Prevention and Cure of Diseases by Regimen and Simple Medicines.9th edn.Dublin: H Chamberlain and others,1784.
17.
DunnPM. Dr William Buchan (1720-1805) and his Domestic Medicine.Archives of Diseases in Childhood Fetaland Neonatal Edition2000; 83: F71–F73.
18.
RuhrahJ. Pediatrics of the Past.New York: Hoeber Inc,1925.
