William Austin

?-1793

Vol II

Pg 377

b.? d.21 January 1793

AB Oxon(1776) AM(1780) MB(1782) MD(1783) FRCP(1787)

This biography is part of a series of historical obituaries, originally published in print. As products of their time periods, some biographies contain language which is inappropriate and offensive and present biased accounts of physicians’ lives and work that do not disclose unethical and discriminatory behaviour. As an establishment organisation, the RCP, its members, and the way they are written about, have often reflected societal power structures that favour dominant groups. We aim to redress these biases through ongoing work.

Below is the biography as originally published in 1878.

William Austin, M.D., was born in Gloucestershire, and educated at Wadham college, Oxford, as a member of which he proceeded A.B. 9th November, 1776; A.M. 8th July, 1780; M.B. 12th February, 1782; M.D. 4th February, 1783. He was elected physician to the Radcliffe infirmary 9th April, 1783, and with unexampled rapidity attained to extensive practice in Oxfordshire. Ambitious of a wider sphere for his exertions, he in 1786 resigned his office at the infirmary and removed to London, where a similar but more brilliant success attended him than in his former situation, his professional receipts soon exceeding four thousand pounds a year. He was admitted a Candidate of the College of Physicians 30th September, 1786; a Fellow, 1st October, 1787; was Censor in 1788; and Gulstonian lecturer in 1790. Dr. Austin was elected physician to St. Bartholomew’s hospital 10th August, 1786; but was suddenly cut off by fever on the 21st January, 1793. (1) His only published work was—

A Treatise on the Stone, its Origin and Component Parts. 8vo. Lond. 1791.

William Munk

[(1) Non possum quin uni, vobis fere omnibus familiari, cujus et ego consuetudine usus sum, Austino, memoris animi testimonium afferam. Conspiciebatis eum ingenio acutum, moribus suavem, studio indefessum; conspiciebatis, iter quod ad famam ducit arduum, non, ut plerosque, ægre scandentem, sed quasi cursu conficientem; conspiciebatis denique de tantâ spe, subito, morte nimis acerbâ, dejectum.—Oratio Harveiana anno M.DCCXCVII. habita, auctore Rob. Bourne]

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