William Cooke

author

William Cooke

1785–1873

A long-serving London doctor, he wrote practical medical books that mixed clinical observation with a strong interest in moral and religious questions. He is also remembered as a co-founder of the Hunterian Society, one of England's oldest medical societies.

1 Audiobook

An address to British females on the moral management of pregnancy and labour, and some cursory observations on medical deportment : Suggested by the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales: with a vindication of Her Royal Highness's physicians, Sir Richard Croft, Dr. Baillie, and Dr. Sims

An address to British females on the moral management of pregnancy and labour, and some cursory observations on medical deportment : Suggested by the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales: with a vindication of Her Royal Highness's physicians, Sir Richard Croft, Dr. Baillie, and Dr. Sims

by William Cooke

About the author

Born in 1785, William Cooke trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital and went on to spend about sixty years working as a general practitioner in and around London. Contemporary medical sources remember him as the son of a farmer who built a substantial career in everyday practice.

He wrote a number of medical works, including books on scalp disease, digestive disorders, anatomy and pathology, pregnancy and labour, and the links between mind, emotion, health, and religion. His writing suggests a doctor interested not only in symptoms and treatment, but also in how moral and spiritual life shaped a patient's experience of illness.

In 1819, he helped found the Hunterian Society with surgeon Thomas Armiger and served as its secretary for many years. That role, along with his published work, helped secure his place in the medical world of 19th-century London.