Addison, THOMAS

Addison, THOMAS, physician, was born near Newcastle in 1793, and graduated in medicine at Edinburgh in 1815. He settled in London, and in 1837 became physician to Guy's Hospital, where he was almost equally eminent as investigator and as clinical lecturer. His chief researches were on pneumonia, phthisis, and especially on the Suprarenal Capsules (q.v.) and the somewhat rare disease of those organs since known as Addison's Disease. The discovery of this disease was a piece of sound original work, though of no great practical importance. He also wrote on poisons, on the disorders of females, and, with Dr Bright, Elements of the Practice of Medicine (vol. i. 1839). He died 29th June 1860.