#27 Thomas Beddoes

The author of these items isn't a household name, but deserves to be better known for his projects to bring medicine to all, not just those who could afford it.

1. These are some of the many (many) books published by Thomas Beddoes, who studied medicine at Pembroke and in Edinburgh.

2. Beddoes was born in 1760 and died in 1808.

3. Beddoes' particular interest was in air, and what was known as 'pneumatic' medicine, aimed at helping patients with breathing difficulties.

4. He was appointed as Professor of Chemistry at Oxford in 1788.

5. He was later asked to resign this lectureship, due to his political views. After spending time in France, he had expressed sympathy with the French Revolution. During this time, he also become acquainted with Lavoisier, the French scientist.

6. In line with his politics, he wrote extensively on improving healthcare for the poor, and proposed a national organisation for preventative medicine.

7. Between 1793 and 1799, he ran the Pneumatic Institute in Bristol, testing various gases to treat tuberculosis. The Institute later became a general hospital.

8. He noticed a connection between lower incidence of TB and proximity to cows, and so kept cows at the Institute, making him a source of ridicule locally in Bristol.

9. Humphrey Davy also worked at the Pneumatic Institute, where he discovered the anaesthetic properties of nitrous oxide, or 'laughing gas'.

10. Thomas Beddoes' son, Thomas Lovell Beddoes, also studied at Pembroke and went on to become a poet.