Samuel Palmer, FRS

Assn. Oath Roll, 1696 Poll List 1700.

Surgeon, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London.

Fellow of the Royal Society 5 December 1728 – 20 April 1738

From: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/15540/1/NQ58999.pdf

The career of ... Samuel Palmer is interesting because he was instrumental in improving the conditions at Bart's two outhouses. Palmer held the post as the Lock surgeon for twenty years from 1700 until his retirement in March, 1720. In keeping with the contemporary traditions of inter-familial medical apprenticeship and nepotism, PaImer successfulIy nominated his son-in-law, Peter Sainthill, to replace him. According to the governors' minutes. Sainthill had "served his Apprenticeship with the aforesaid Mr Palmer his Father in Law, and had often been employed by hirn to dispense Medicine and dress the Poor in the said hospital.'"

Surprisingly, Palmer was wealthy enough to donate the customary l00 pounds in order to become a hospital governor. His petition (and money) was accepted and in 1720 Palmer became the first outhouse surgeon to become a hospitai govemor. Palmer immediately became a highly active member of the board of governors. Despite the fact that Bart's had well over 100 governors, it was rare for more than ten to attend the weekiy meetings. Therefore, a motivated individual or small group who regularly attended meetings could affect hospital policy rather effectively. It is interestÏng, therefore, and I believe not coincidental, that several structural improvements were ordered fot the outhouses soon after Palmer became a govemor and began proposing and lobbying for these changes.

Less than a year after he became a governor Palmer personally contrîbuted twenty five pounds towards initiating improvements at the Lock Hospital. At a meeting with Palmer present on Novernber 4,1721, the governors also ordered that a new ward be built at the Lock. Two weeks later Palmer convinced the govemors to pay for wainscoting, painting, and a new flight of stairs at the Kingsland Hospital. In 1723 the governon finally purchased fire insurance for the two outhouses, and with Palmer present in 1724 they ordered that 100 pounds be put towards an improved "hot and cold bath" for the patients at the Lock.

But Palmer's greatest lobbying success came in 1726 when the govemors agreed to rebuild compietely the Kingsland outhouse. Interestingiy, they agreed to utilise one of the wards in the hospitai (John's ward) to house female venereal patients temporarily while the reconstruction proceeded. This coup was no smaiI feat. The governors agreed to devote the handsome sum of £1,000 to the project. The minutes read: 'Mr treamer is desried to sl One Thousand pounds S[outh] S[ea] Annuityes belonging to this Hospital and in his Name as soon as ye books are open, in order to pay the Workmen towards the building of Kingsland Hospital.'"

Palmer's devotion and work impressed his fellow governors so much that when the post of Treasurer became open in 1729 he was nominated and unanimously chosen. Thus, a former outhouse surgeon rose to command St. Bartholomew's most powerful executive position. His tenure as treasurer is best remembered because Palmer initiated the massive project of rebuilding Bart's hospitai, which took over twenty years to complete. Upon the completion of the project in 1752 a plaque with Palmer's name was ordered to cornmernorate the project, which still stands in its original position around the corner from the current archives.

The career of Palmer is informative for several rasons. First it iilustrates that by the eighteenth century the post as an outhouse surgeon could be a lucrative base for a successful and even prestigious career. Palmer's association with Daniel Turner shows that he was connected and weIl thought of by important members of London's medical community. Monover, his ability to donate significant fiinds to the hospital indicates that he likely had quite a successful private practice, probably owing to his local reputation as one of Bart's venereologists. Secondly, Palmer's career as a governor shows how important individual personalities couid prove to be in steering the policy of early modem institutions. Frequently the policy decisions of the institutions studied in this dissertation were the products of small debates involving oniy a handful of men. Little is known of the histories and values of the hundreds of men who sat as governors of St Bartholomew's Hospital during the period covered by this study.

Thus, it is usuaIIy difficult to avoid generalising about decisions made by "the govemors." But Palmer's career reminds us that "the govemors" was in fact a group of individuals, each with their own set of agendas and attitudes. Once Palmer became a governor, those who petitioned for improvements to the outhouses had a persuasive and influential ally. In fact, during the period of Palmer's activity as a governor and treasurer (1720-31) the number of venereal patients who received free care increased dramatically; the amount spent to feed charitable foul patients more than doubled from just over £57 in 1720 to over £135 in 1729. Palmer's personal responsibility in this can never be totally determined. But the diet figures and impressive sums spent on outhouse improvements suggest that Palmer had a very influential effect on hospital policy toward venereology in the 1720's. From this we can only assume that hospital policy towards foul patients in other periods was equally dependent on the personal attitudes of the individuals who controlled Bart's executive.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43039

Monument in All Saints Church, Wandsworth, on the east wall of the north aisle by P. Scheemakers to Samuel Palmer, a fellow of the Royal Society, many years a surgeon and afterwards treasurer to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, born 1670, died 1738.

Will is available at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/D602824?d...

He left 100,000 pounds to his daughter Frances. (see The Gentleman's Magazine, http://books.google.de/books?id=e0kDAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=...

Will includes bequests of £1500 each to grandchildren Margaret, Frances, Samuel and Peter Sainthill; £100 each to 'sister Frances Tarry', 'brother George Tarry', 'nephew Malbow Scrimpshire', nephews Samuel and George Tarry, and nieces Grace and Frances Tarry, and his 'brother John Still'; £20 each to his 'sister the Widow Still'and his 'sister the Widow Wheatley'.

From: The London Evening Post, from Thursday April 20th to Saturday April 22nd,1738.

On Thursday Night died in an advanced Age, at his Seat at Wandsworth, Samuel Palmer, Esq; formerly an eminent Surgeon of this City and said to have died worth 50,000 l, which he has left to his Daughter, Wife to Peter St. Hill, Esq Surgeon to the Lock Hospital in Kent Street.

See also: http://www.lamas.org.uk/transactions-archive/Vol%2021.pdf