Sir Astley Paston Cooper (1768-1841)

1785-1834

1 file

Purchased from Sotheby's London, 1922, 1927, 1930, 1933, Desgranges Paris, 1932, Christie's London, 1935, and Mrs. Watson of Burnley (presumably once part of the Thomas Madden Stone autograph collection). Some provenance not recorded. Accessions 56370, 57008, 65659, 65821, 66163, 67272, 67430, 69132, 72200, 91799

Astley Paston Cooper was born in 1768 in Norfolk. The sixth of ten children born to the Reverend Samuel Cooper and Maria Susanna Cooper, the young Astley was known for his pranks and showed little inclination toward studying before becoming interested in medicine. His uncle William Cooper was senior surgeon at Guys's hospital in London, and in 1784 Astley was articled to him. During this time he resided in the house of Henry Cline, a surgeon at St. Thomas's hospital, and the formal apprenticeship was transferred to him in 1785. In 1789 he became Cline's anatomy demonstrator, and was invited two years later by Cline to share in the lectures on his combined course in anatomy and surgery. Whilst working at St Thomas's he also spent three years lecturing in anatomy at the Company of Surgeons, later the Royal College of Surgeons, between 1793 and 1796. Later, in 1813, the R.C.S elected Cooper professor of comparative anatomy, a post he retained for two years before resigning. In 1800 he left St Thomas's when William Cooper resigned his position at Guy's and Astley was elected to take over from him. He was elected to membership of the Royal Society in 1802, and was later both a vice-president and winner of the Society's Copley medal. In 1822 he became a member of the Court of Examiners, and served as president twice, in 1827 and 1836. In his later years he received honorary degrees from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh. His notable patients included Lord Liverpool, the Duke of York, the Duke of Wellington and the Prince of Wales who, as George IV, made Cooper a baronet in 1821. At his request this title descended to his adopted son, also called Astley Cooper, upon his death.

At Wellcome Collection: The papers of the Hodgkin family (PP/HO) includes letters from Cooper at PP/HO/D/A1499 and PP/HO/D/B47

Material formerly held in the Western Manuscripts Department's Autograph Letters Sequence.