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William Hale-White

1857 – 1949

British physician and medical biographer

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About William Hale-White

Lived 1857 – 1949 (aged 91). William Hale-White was a British physician and biographer.

Sir William Hale-White (7 November 1857 – 26 February 1949) was a British physician and medical biographer. He was the son of writer Mark Rutherford.

Career Hale-White was appointed an assistant physician at Guy's Hospital in 1886, a physician in 1890 and consulting physician from 1917. During the First World War, he was a colonel in the RAMC and was created KBE in 1919.

He was elected president of the Medical Society of London (1920–1921), the Royal Society of Medicine (1922–1924)

The term ulcerative colitis entered general medical vocabulary in 1888 after Hale-White published a report of various cases of "ulcerative colitis". However, Samuel Wilks in 1859 was the first person to use the term ulcerative colitis.

Retirement Hale-White remained active in history of medicine following retirement. In this field, he is best known for his categorising of William Withering's letters, bequeathed by William Osler to The History of Medicine Society at The Royal Society of Medicine, London. His literary contributions also include works on René Laennec and John Keats.

Family life In 1886, Hale-White married Edith Fripp the daughter of Alfred Downing Fripp and sister of Sir Alfred Fripp, surgeon to Edward VII and George V. Materia medica, pharmacology and therapeutics (assisted by Arthur Henry Douthwaite), London, Churchill, 1949, 1959, 1963. Translation of selected passages from De l'auscultation mediate, Rene Laennec, 1923.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Positions held
President of the Royal Society of Medicine
Awards
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Harveian Oration
Also known as
William Hale White, Sir William Hale-White

People in William Hale-White's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Hale-White's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Hale-White?

British physician and medical biographer (1857–1949)

When was William Hale-White born?

William Hale-White was born on 7 November 1857 in London.

When did William Hale-White die?

William Hale-White died on 26 February 1949 in Oxford.

What was William Hale-White's occupation?

William Hale-White was a physician and biographer.

What nationality was William Hale-White?

William Hale-White was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Hale-White

· Wikidata: Q8010716

· DBpedia: William Hale-White

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Hale-White. https://biography.guide/william-hale-white-physician/

MLA: "William Hale-White." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-hale-white-physician/.

Chicago: "William Hale-White." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-hale-white-physician/.

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