William Twining (1790–1835) was a British military surgeon who practiced in the Indian Subcontinent.
William Twining was born in 1790. [1] His father was Reverend William Twining of Nova Scotia. [1] His grandfather, Griffith Twining, had (in 1770) left his home in Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, Wales to be a missionary abroad. [1] The family has origins in the town of Twining near Tewkesbury. [1] By common ancestry from the 1400s with the Twining family of Pershore, Twining was a distant relation to Richard Twining of Twinings and the East India Company tea trade. [1]
Twining began studying medicine at Guy's Hospital under Astley Cooper in 1808. [1] For two years, he worked as an anatomy demonstrator for Joshua Brookes. [1]
In 1821, he became personal surgeon to Edward Paget, Governor of Ceylon. [1] In 1824, he became the Assistant Surgeon to the Bengal Establishment in the East India Company. [1] While in that role, he also continued his term of military service through 1830. [1]
In 1835, Twining wrote what seems to be the first modern clinical description of kala azar, which he called " tropical sprue". [1] [2] In his description, he said that it was "endemic cachexia of the tropical countries that are subject to paludal exhalations", and then listed characteristics which match contemporary understanding of the disease. [2]
William Twining (1790–1835) was a British military surgeon who practiced in the Indian Subcontinent.
William Twining was born in 1790. [1] His father was Reverend William Twining of Nova Scotia. [1] His grandfather, Griffith Twining, had (in 1770) left his home in Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, Wales to be a missionary abroad. [1] The family has origins in the town of Twining near Tewkesbury. [1] By common ancestry from the 1400s with the Twining family of Pershore, Twining was a distant relation to Richard Twining of Twinings and the East India Company tea trade. [1]
Twining began studying medicine at Guy's Hospital under Astley Cooper in 1808. [1] For two years, he worked as an anatomy demonstrator for Joshua Brookes. [1]
In 1821, he became personal surgeon to Edward Paget, Governor of Ceylon. [1] In 1824, he became the Assistant Surgeon to the Bengal Establishment in the East India Company. [1] While in that role, he also continued his term of military service through 1830. [1]
In 1835, Twining wrote what seems to be the first modern clinical description of kala azar, which he called " tropical sprue". [1] [2] In his description, he said that it was "endemic cachexia of the tropical countries that are subject to paludal exhalations", and then listed characteristics which match contemporary understanding of the disease. [2]