George James Guthrie, F.R.S.

Date:
[between 1860 and 1869?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: George James Guthrie, F.R.S. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Assistant Surgeon, 5th March, 1801, 29th Eegt.; Surgeon, 20th March, 1806, 29th Kegt.; Staff Surgeon, 4th Jan., 1810 ; Deputy Inspector General, 16th Sept., 1813; placed on half pay, 1814; died at 4, Berkeley-street, Berkeley- square, 1st May, 1856. (Silver Medal for 2, 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 26.) Became a member of the College of Surgeons, when not quite 1C. He was soon after appointed an assistant surgeon to the 29th llegiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Byng, now Lord Strafford, w'ho was only 22 years of age and Jlr. Guthrie 16. Nothwithstanding the youth of both, it was always admitted that there was no regiment better commanded or better doctored. From 1802 to 1807 he served in North America; in 1808 he landed with his regiment in Mondego Bay, and on the 17th of August was at the battle of Rolica. The 9th and 29th Regiments furnished the greater part of the wounded, who for three days were almost entirely under Mr. Guthrie’s care. On the 21st of the same month he was at the battle of Vimiera. Mr. Guthrie was present at the taking of Oporto, and here he exhibited several examples of great presence of mind, especially in capturing a gun, which the French artillerymen were endeavouring to drag through a lane, when the young doctor, being the only mounted officer present, made a dash at the gun and captured it; but what to do with it puzzled him ; he therefore cut the traces of the headmost mule, a very fine one, brought her off as a trophy, and then sent a sergeant and a file of men to take charge of the gun until he could report its capture to Sir J. Sherbrook, who was mightily amused at the doctor’s capturing a gun by himself. He was present at the battle of Talavera, at the retreat of the British army across the Tagus—• a most disastrous affair for the wounded, who were collected after several days’ marching at the Convent of Deleytosa, near Truxillo, which Mr. Guthrie called the slaughterhouse of the wounded of the British army from the loss of life which took place through the want of previous care and defective surgical knowledge. ^ i nrrxX^Jt \ >ol^ - d-nxv^A<.t IS C8 ' J ■ 21 , / 8 CS jc) XT f OCXX \ cL > sf LL xjLf ^ JSOCj 1 (r OtXx x x^ / 8 M ^LL^x) I8IZ 'LL <pLcx lx XT X , f ^ <x.j\ ^fbrx c/'CLAex ; J J , ( LA. e ) II . 1 d 1 8 l2 S cxrrufjcL^ , , 3L , . ,10 ISIS vi L / I 6 I h- ■