Simpson, Thomas (1838 – c.1920)

Thomas Simpson M.D. M.R.C.S (1838 – c. 1921), was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy. Simpson was Honorary Consulting Physician to the Liverpool Hahnemann Homeopathic Hospital and Honorary Physician to the Southport Homoeopathic Dispensary. He was a member of the Liverpool Branch of the British Homoeopathic Society. He was also honorary physician to The Evangelization Society.

Thomas Simpson was a friend of Peter Stuart, John Henry Clarke, and a colleague of John James Drysdale, John William Hayward, Robert Gibson Miller, Edward Christian Holland, among others.

Thomas Simpson practiced in Glasgow in 1888, and at 30 Wavertree Road, Liverpool in 1871,

Thomas Simpson was born in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1838. He received his MD from St. Andrews in 1862, and the same year became MRCP Edinburgh.

In 1865, Simpson joined the medical staff at the Liverpool Hardman Street Homoeopathic Dispensary. This had opened in 1860 but traced its roots back to the early 1840s.

In July 1867, Thomas Simpson married Mary Muir Wylie (1835 – 1909).

In 1886, Thomas Simpson served alongside Robert Gibson Miller as Honorary Physicians at the Glasgow Public Homoeopathic Dispensary.

Thomas Simpson was a prodigious writer, submitted many cases and articles to various homeopathic publications, including Short Clinical Notes.

In 1871, Thomas Simpson resided at 30, Wavertree Road in Liverpool, and two years later was listed as medical officer at the Waterloo Homoeopathic  Dispensary. During the years 1895 – 1898, Simpson was recorded as being the Medical Officer at the Bootle Homoeopathic Dispensary at 10 Crosby Road, Waterloo, Liverpool, presumably the same institution.

By 1905, Simpson was living at 17 Lancaster Road, Birkdale, Lancs. He was subsequently at 2 Palatine Road, Birkdale (Southport), and later in Ormskirk, Lancs.

Simpson was also actively involved in the anti-vivisection movement.

In 1907, Simpson wrote a short piece in support of the recently-formed British Homoeopathic Association.

The following year, 1908, Simpson was appointed Justice of the Peace for the County Palatine of Lancaster. He had previously served as a member of the Waterloo-with-Seaforth Urban District Council where he had been primarily responsible for obtaining the Carnegie free library for Waterloo. Even after he left the district Simpson continued as the chairman of the Waterloo Free Library and Museum Committee.

After his wife, Mary, died in 1909 Thomas Simpson continued to live in the Southport area. He also continued to contributed to the homeopathic literature in 1916, and in May 1917 provided an obituary for Peter Stuart, jr., in the Homoeopathic World.

In 1920, Thomas Simpson wrote to the editor of the Homoeopathic World explaining that the Southport Cottage Hospital had managed to survive the crisis of the Great War and in the immediate postwar period was treating patients suffering from shell-shock.

Of interest:

Arthur Telford Simpson [no evident relation] was a British Civil Engineer, who did contract work in New York and in Cardiff, with his partner John Nelson (trading as T Nelson and Co). Arthur Simpson was a supporter of homeopathy, and was listed as a member of the management committee of the Surbiton, Kingston and Norbiton Homoeopathic Dispensary in 1873.

Jas Simpson [no evident relation] was a supporter of homeopathy, and was also listed as a member of the management committee of the Surbiton, Kingston and Norbiton Homoeopathic Dispensary in 1873.

Edward Simpson (1826 – 1876) [no evident relation], a Wiltshire grocer and tea merchant, was a member of the management committee for the North Wilts Homoeopathic Dispensary, Devizes in 1868, alongside T. Carter, Reverend R. Dawson, James Cornelius Madge, Charles Henry Marston, Sir R. H. Pollen, Lieutenant Colonel Salmon, Chas Sloper,  James Stratton, Lieutenant Colonel Wallington, and W. Watson.

James Young Simpson [no evident relation] was a bitter opponent of homeopathy.

James Simpson [no evident relation] was a member of the Management Committee of the British Homeopathic Association in 1847.

Stephen Simpson M.D. (1793 – 1869) [no evident relation] was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy and travelled to Australia where he practiced for more than two decades. (See Barbara Armstrong ‘s article on Stephen Simpson). Simpson wrote A Practical View of Homoeopathy (1836).