Dr. Charles White. 151 



Charles White, F.R.S. 



Charles White, F.R.S., the author of ' Gradation in 

 Man/ was one of the original four vice-presidents of the 

 Society, and was one of the most eminent and valued sur- 

 geons of the time, famous in all the country and not merely 

 in Lancashire for his skill in manipulation, his ready 

 resource and the success of his innovations. Still he was a 

 thorough Manchester man, his father, Dr. Thomas White, 

 having practised in the same town. He was educated 

 in London and Edinburgh, and was a fellow student and 

 friend of John Hunter. He lived in King Street, in a large 

 house, prominent in views of Manchester of the time, with an 

 imposing flight of steps on the spot, where afterwards was 

 built the Manchester Town Hall, now in 1881 the home of 

 the Free Reference Library. Mr. White had a country 

 house at Sale, wh'ich is above five miles distant. The 

 Manchester Infirmary may be said partly to owe its position 

 to him ; the Lying-in Hospital was also "raised by his 

 influence. We are informed by Thomas Henry that out 

 of London the only infirmaries before the Manchester one 

 ' in this part of England ' (the meaning is not quite clear) 

 were those of Shrewsbury and Liverpool. 



Mr. White was an enthusiast in surgery. His museum 

 of anatomical preparations was presented to the Lying-in 

 Hospital ; he and his son took part in the institution, begun 

 in 1783, for the delivery of lectures on Literature, on 

 Science, and the Arts. They took the anatomical depart- 

 ment. He was the author also of many papers besides the 

 work here mentioned, and his fame rested on his public 

 spirit and his science, as well as on his fine touch. 



Studying Botany, beautifying his garden, collecting 

 forest trees, attending to the wants of the public by raising 



