Munster, Harold Valdemar (1871 – 1917)

Harold Valdemar Munster M.D. M.B. C.M. (6 January 1871 – 20 April 1917) was a British homeopathic physician. He was Medical Officer and Visiting Surgeon to the Croydon Homoeopathic Dispensary, alongside his partner in private practice, Dr. Thomas Eadie Purdom, and Purdom’s son, Dr. William Percy Purdom.

 

Harold Valdemar Munster was born in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland in January 1871 to Edward Frederick Munster (1832 – 1913) and Mary Caughey (1831 – 1929).

Munster graduated M.B. and C.M from the University of Edinburgh in 1894, and in 1899 received his M.D. from the same institution.

In 1895, Munster worked as assistant to Dr. Giles Forward Goldsbrough, and then in 1896-1897 he was Resident Medical Officer at the London Homeopathic Hospital.

In October 1896, he married Dublin-born Louisa Black (1873 – 1909). They had two daughters, Annie Louisa (1897 – 1979) and Mary Emmaline Lily (1899 – 1962). Louisa died in March 1909, and the following year Munster married her younger sister, Gertrude Lott Black (1881 – 1961). They had three further children: Edward Arthur (or Arthur Henry) (1911 – 1991), Lillian Gertrude (1915 – 1971), and Norman Valdemar Munster (1916 – 1991).

In November 1897, Munster, then at 3 Oakfield Road, Croydon, was elected a member of the British Homeopathic Society.

That year, Munster went into partnership with Dr. Thomas Eadie Purdom (1853 – 1942) in Croydon, Surrey. He also worked alongside Purdom and his son, Dr. William Percy Purdom, as Medical Officers at the Croydon Homoeopathic Dispensary where, for twenty years until his untimely death in 1917, Munster was a valued and respected figure.

Harold Munster was active in professional homeopathic circles. He was in attendance at the British Homeopathic Congress held in London in July, 1902. That same year he was also listed as one of the contributors to the Memorial Fund set up by the British Homeopathic Society in honour of the venerable British homeopath, Richard Hughes, who had died that April.

Munster contributed a number of papers and  articles to homeopathic publications and meetings. At the second meeting of the 68th session of the British Homeopathic Society, held at the London Homeopathic Hospital in November, 1911, Munster was one of the discussants in the Section of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, alongside President Thomas George Stonham and Doctors Giles Forward Goldsbrough, John Galley Blackley, Sir John Weir, Vincent Green, Apollinaris Victor Jagielski, W. A. Davidson, Charles Edwin Wheeler, and David MacNish.

Munster later resided at 109 St James’ Road, Croydon, Surrey. He was killed in a car accident in the town on 20 April 1917. A memorial fund was set up in his memory and within a few months of his death more than £500 had been raised, £121 of which had been contributed by allopathic physicians in Croydon, an indicator of the esteem within which he was held in the community.