398:
273:
44:
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377:. On the first day of 1878, Chantrelle's wife, Elizabeth, became violently ill, and died the next day. A broken gas pipe was discovered in her bedroom, and the police at first assumed that her death was the result of accidental gas poisoning. Littlejohn was not satisfied. Analysing some vomit found on her nightgown, he detected traces of opium. He ordered a full
316:
in
Edinburgh. This resulted in the demolition of the worst slums and created the largely Victorian Old Town that exists today. On Littlejohn's recommendation, the council also brought in regulations governing water supply, sewage, building standards, food hygiene, waste disposal and the management of
280:
In 1862, Littlejohn was appointed
Edinburgh's first Medical Officer of Health. This was at a time when many of the town's inhabitants were living in squalor, in filthy overcrowded tenements, often with no water supply and with little or no sanitation. Disease was rampant. There had been two recent
344:
During
Littlejohn's 46 years as Medical Officer of Health, the death rate in Edinburgh fell from 26 per thousand to 17 per thousand. There was a dramatic drop in outbreaks of smallpox and typhus. His introduction of compulsory notification of infectious diseases has been described as 'one of the
320:
In order to track and anticipate the spread of infectious diseases through the population, Littlejohn campaigned for legal powers to compel medical practitioners to notify him of all cases of the most infectious diseases. Despite opposition from doctors, a clause was added to the 1879 Edinburgh
300:
During his first three years in the post, Littlejohn carried out a meticulous investigation into the living conditions and the state of health of the town's inhabitants. His report, published in 1865, contained 120 pages of detailed statistics, analysing conditions in over one thousand separate
325:
compulsory – the first legislation of its kind in
Britain. Significantly, the Act placed responsibility for notification on the attending doctor rather than the householder. This measure was extended to the whole of Scotland through the 1897 Public Health (Scotland) Act.
447:(1862–1927) (normally just called Harvey Littlejohn during his life but posthumously largely called Henry) who followed in his father's footsteps as a forensic scientist and medical officer, and who adopted similar techniques of investigation and problem solving.
301:
streets, closes and tenements. It included extensive data on the prevalence of the most common diseases as well as historical data on earlier epidemics. The report convincingly demonstrated the link between depravation, disease and mortality.
353:
Littlejohn enjoyed a parallel career in forensic science and criminal investigation. In 1854, the Town
Council appointed him to the part-time post of police surgeon. He went on to serve as medical adviser to the
202:, during which time he brought about significant improvements in the living conditions and the health of the city's inhabitants. He also served as a police surgeon and medical adviser in Scottish criminal cases.
416:
in 1875. From 1883 to 1885 he served as president of the
Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society. He received an honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh in 1893. In the same year, he became president of the
1005:
1010:
945:
249:, he returned to the Infirmary as an assistant pathologist. This was followed by a brief spell in general practice. He was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1854.
1015:
970:
955:
950:
381:, which revealed that she had died of narcotic poisoning. Chantrelle was arrested, tried for murder, convicted and executed, mainly on Littlejohn's evidence.
781:
355:
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1000:
257:
965:
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413:
230:
114:
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366:, and a case of culpable homicide resulting from a railway accident which claimed twenty lives. At the time of his retirement in 1908, the
466:
in
Edinburgh. His grave is on the edge of the southern path towards the west end. He is buried with his wife, and their son and daughter.
656:
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418:
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noted that "there was no great criminal trial in the High Court in which he did not act as a Crown witness."
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83:
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in
Scottish criminal cases, in which role he would continue for over 50 years. He acted as
214:
on 8 May 1826 to
Isabella Duncan and Thomas Littlejohn, a master baker of 33 Leith Street.
43:
580:
563:
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425:
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87:
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in many criminal trials. These included three cases of child murder, the high-profile
909:
463:
402:
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218:
195:
99:
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290:
462:, he was cremated at the Glasgow Crematorium. His ashes were interred at the
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330:
211:
64:
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286:
282:
523:
White, Brenda M. (23 September 2004). "Littlejohn, Sir Henry Duncan".
190:
MD LLD FRCSE (8 May 1826 – 30 September 1914) was a
Scottish surgeon,
756:"How the Not Proven verdict played its part in a controversial trial"
334:
440:. He retired from public office on 10 March 1908, at the age of 82.
396:
388:
271:
246:
34:
483:
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and served as president in 1881. He was elected president of the
889:
Insanitary City: Henry Littlejohn and the Condition of Edinburgh
443:
His wife was Isabella Jane, daughter of H. Harvey. His son was
241:
From 1847 to 1848, Littlejohn worked as a house surgeon at the
31:
276:
An extract from one of the tables in Littlejohn's 1865 report
657:"Littlejohn's Report of the Sanitary Condition of Edinburgh"
373:
One of his most famous cases was that of the wife-murderer,
436:
In his later life, Littlejohn lived at 24 Royal Circus in
312:, and the Town Council launched an ambitious programme of
879:
Report on the sanitary condition of the City of Edinburgh
175:
Report on the sanitary condition of the City of Edinburgh
1006:
Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
882:. Colston & Son – via The Welcome Collection.
345:
major advances in public health of the 19th century'.
198:
official. He served for 46 years as Edinburgh's first
450:
Littlejohn died at his country house, Benreoch, near
229:, graduating in 1847. He became a Licentiate of the
225:(1838 to 1841). He went on to study medicine at the
1011:
Office bearers of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh
946:
People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh
661:
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
484:"Edinburgh Post Office annual directory, 1832-1833"
170:
162:
154:
136:
128:
120:
106:
95:
72:
50:
23:
341:produced a report which acknowledged such a link.
837:Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1905-6
408:In 1855 Littlejohn was elected a member of the
458:, on 30 September 1914. A strong proponent of
329:In 1900, Littlejohn identified a link between
304:With the backing of Littlejohn's report, the
8:
1016:Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh
529:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
630:"Henry Littlejohn helped win cholera fight"
809:A Record of the Edinburgh Harveian Society
42:
20:
579:
971:Academics of the University of Edinburgh
806:Watson Wemyss, Herbert Lindesay (1933).
526:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
475:
258:Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine
887:Laxton, Paul; Rodger, Richard (2013).
706:
704:
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609:Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
599:
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518:
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414:Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
231:Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
115:Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
16:British surgeon and forensic scientist
956:19th-century Scottish medical doctors
951:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
724:
722:
711:"Resignation of Henry D Littlejohn".
558:
556:
554:
552:
349:Police surgeon and forensic scientist
7:
685:. Hutchinson & Co. p. 201.
245:. After a short period of study in
786:Edinburgh Southside Heritage Group
754:MacPherson, Hamish (18 May 2021).
14:
848:"Prof. (Henry) Harvey Littlejohn"
321:Municipal Police Act making such
996:People educated at Perth Academy
981:Elders of the Church of Scotland
574:(2806): 46–50. 10 October 1914.
564:"Obituary: Sir Henry Littlejohn"
419:Royal Institute of Public Health
252:In 1856 he became a lecturer in
812:. T&A Constable, Edinburgh.
166:Public health, forensic science
1001:Medical doctors from Edinburgh
683:Edinburgh: The Story of a City
1:
966:British public health doctors
941:Civil servants from Edinburgh
730:"Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn"
655:Parry, Carol (7 April 2014).
410:Harveian Society of Edinburgh
210:Henry Littlejohn was born in
986:Burials at the Dean Cemetery
926:19th-century Scottish people
876:Littlejohn, Henry D (1865).
823:"Honours and Appointments".
543:UK public library membership
488:National Library of Scotland
243:Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
223:Royal High School, Edinburgh
961:British forensic scientists
891:. Carnegie Publishing Ltd.
438:Edinburgh's Second New Town
339:Royal College of Physicians
237:Medical and teaching career
188:Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn
1032:
401:Littlejohn's grave at the
393:24 Royal Circus, Edinburgh
782:"Eugene Marie Chantrelle"
605:"Henry Duncan Littlejohn"
268:Medical Officer of Health
200:Medical Officer of Health
181:
147:
132:Advances in public health
41:
385:Appointments and honours
206:Early life and education
568:British Medical Journal
445:Henry Harvey Littlejohn
227:University of Edinburgh
141:Henry Harvey Littlejohn
111:University of Edinburgh
852:Gazetteer for Scotland
734:Gazetteer for Scotland
634:Edinburgh Evening News
535:10.1093/ref:odnb/40753
405:
394:
337:, 62 years before the
277:
976:Medical jurisprudence
681:Catford, E F (1975).
432:Later life and family
400:
392:
275:
254:medical jurisprudence
221:before attending the
25:Sir Henry Littlejohn
715:: 7. 16 March 1908.
424:He was knighted by
406:
395:
278:
233:in the same year.
217:He studied at the
192:forensic scientist
991:Scottish surgeons
827:: 6. 1 July 1895.
636:. 14 October 2014
541:(Subscription or
375:Eugene Chantrelle
285:epidemics, while
185:
184:
121:Years active
76:30 September 1914
1023:
936:Knights Bachelor
931:Scottish knights
902:
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762:. pp. 20–21
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364:Ardlamont murder
310:William Chambers
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360:expert witness
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297:were endemic.
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855:. Retrieved
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789:. Retrieved
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764:. Retrieved
760:The National
759:
749:
737:. Retrieved
733:
713:The Scotsman
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664:. Retrieved
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491:. Retrieved
487:
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407:
372:
367:
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343:
333:smoking and
328:
323:notification
319:
317:cemeteries.
306:Lord Provost
303:
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187:
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96:Burial place
78:(1914-09-30)
18:
921:1914 deaths
916:1826 births
379:post mortem
102:, Edinburgh
910:Categories
739:3 February
545:required.)
493:24 January
470:References
291:diphtheria
155:Profession
90:, Scotland
67:, Scotland
61:8 May 1826
57:1826-05-08
825:The Times
460:cremation
428:in 1895.
331:cigarette
212:Edinburgh
137:Relatives
107:Education
65:Edinburgh
452:Arrochar
368:Scotsman
295:smallpox
84:Arrochar
857:30 July
791:29 July
666:29 July
640:29 July
614:29 July
581:2299842
287:typhoid
283:cholera
256:at the
895:
766:19 May
689:
578:
539:
335:cancer
177:(1865)
158:Doctor
356:Crown
247:Paris
163:Field
143:(son)
35:FRCSE
893:ISBN
859:2020
793:2020
768:2021
741:2011
687:ISBN
668:2020
642:2020
616:2020
495:2018
293:and
194:and
73:Died
51:Born
576:PMC
531:doi
260:at
32:LLD
912::
850:.
784:.
758:.
732:.
721:^
701:^
659:.
632:.
607:.
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486:.
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308:,
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124:46
113:,
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29:MD
901:.
861:.
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55:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
