William Hawes (physician)

William Hawes M.D. (1736–1808) was an English physician and philanthropist, founder of the Royal
Humane Society. As well as his work to spread the practice of resuscitation, he was concerned to relieve
poverty in east London.

Contents
Life
Works
Family
Notes

Life
Hawes was born at Islington, London, on 28 November 1736, and
was educated at first by John Shield, and afterwards at St Paul's
School, London. After passing some time with Mr. Robert Carsan, a
medical practitioner of Vauxhall, he became assistant to a Mr. Dicks in
the Strand and eventually succeeded him in his practice.[1]
William Hawes, 1802 engraving
About 1773 Hawes became well known as a campaigner for the
possibility of resuscitating persons apparently dead from drowning, or
other causes of asphyxia. For a year he gave a reward to anyone who brought to him, or his supporters, the
body of a person who had been taken out of the River Thames insensible, within a reasonable time after
immersion. The reward was paid whether the attempt to resuscitate proved successful or not. Thomas Cogan,
who translated in 1773 an account of an Amsterdam society for the resuscitation of the apparently drowned,
thought that Hawes should not pay all the rewards, and it was arranged in 1774 that he and Cogan should each
bring fifteen friends to the Chapter coffee-house on Paternoster Row to consider further operations. This was
done, and at the meeting the Humane Society was formed. Hawes became its registrar.[1]

Hawes was also physician to the London Dispensary. From 1791 he lived in Spital Square, and in 1793
worked to alleviate the distress which then was found among Spitalfields weavers. He died 5 December
1808.[1]

Works
Hawes wrote the following works:[1]

An Account of Dr. Goldsmith's Illness, 1774. Oliver Goldsmith had consulated Hawes as
apothecary, but against his advice continued to self-medicate with Dr James's "fever
powder".[2]
An Examination of the Rev. John Wesley's Primitive Physic, 1776; 3rd ed. 1780.
An Address on Premature Death and Premature Interment, 1777.
 An Address to the Public on the Dangerous Custom of laying out persons as soon as
Respiration ceases, with a Reply by W. Renwick, and Observations on that Reply, 1778.
An Address to the Legislature on the importance of a Humane Society, 1781.
An Address to the King and Parliament of Great Britain on the important subject of preserving
the Lives of its Inhabitants, 1782; 3rd ed., with Observations on the General Bills of Mortality,
1783.
The Transactions of the Royal Humane Society from 1774 to 1784, with an Appendix of
Miscellaneous Observations on Suspended Animation to the year 1794.

Family
Hawes married Sarah Fox (1740–1814) in 1759, and they had nine children. They included:[3]

Harriot (bap. 1760)[3]

Sophia (bap. 1762, died 1828), married in 1790 Russell Scott (1761–1833), a nonconformist
minister in Portsmouth and brother of Mary Scott.[3][4] Their daughter Sophia Russell Scott
married her first cousin John Edward Taylor, son of Mary Scott and founder of the Manchester
Guardian; and her brother Russell (1810–1880) was father of C. P. Scott, editor of The
Guardian.[5][6]
The eldest son, Thomas (bap. 1765, died 1849), a magistrate, was partner with his brother
Benjamin in the soapworks at the New Barge House, Lambeth.[7]
Sarah (b. 1773)[3]
William (b. 1774)[3]
Benjamin (1770–1861), the father of Benjamin Hawes (1797–1862) and William Hawes (1805–
1885).[3]
Maria, or Mary Ann (b. 1782), married John Gurney.[3][8]

Notes
1. Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1891). "Hawes, William (1736-1808)" (https://en.wikisourc
e.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Hawes,_William_(1736-1808)).
Dictionary of National Biography. 25. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
2. Dussinger, John A. "Goldsmith, Oliver". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.).
Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/10924 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%
2F10924). (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#pu
blic) required.)
3. Williams, Carolyn D. "Hawes, William". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.).
Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12648 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%
2F12648). (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#pu
blic) required.)
4. Lindsey, Theophilus (2007). G. M. Ditchfield (ed.). The Letters of Theophilus Lindsey (1723–
1808) Vol. 1 1747–1788. Boydell Press. p. lxxxiv. ISBN 9781843833444.
5. Taylor, Geoffrey. "Taylor, John Edward". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.).
Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27062 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%
2F27062). (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#pu
blic) required.)
6. Wilson, Trevor. "Scott, Charles Prestwich". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35980 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fre
 f%3Aodnb%2F35980). (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/
subscribe#public) required.)
7. Sylvanus Urban (1849). The Gentleman's Magazine (https://books.google.com/books?id=sME
UAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA105). XXXII. p. 105.
8. Pease-Watkin, Catherine. "Gurney, Sir John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11767 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fre
f%3Aodnb%2F11767). (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/
subscribe#public) required.)

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney,
eds. (1891). "Hawes, William (1736-1808)". Dictionary of National Biography. 25. London: Smith, Elder &
Co.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Hawes_(physician)&oldid=888070049"

This page was last edited on 16 March 2019, at 18:41 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.