Henry George Plimmer

Henry George Plimmer (29 January 1856/57 – 22 June 1918) was a British doctor and medical researcher known for his studies in cancer, comparative pathology, bacteriology and parasitology.

[1] The family was poorly provided for after his father's death and, shortly after leaving school, Plimmer took a job as a clerk at the Coalbrookdale Company in Ironbridge, Shropshire (1871–78), where his mother's brother had influence.

[1][2] In 1878, he became an assistant to J. H. Dalton, a doctor at Norwood, south London, who had formerly practised under his father, and his partner Sidney Turner.

[1] Plimmer studied medicine at Guy's Hospital (1878–83), while continuing to work at the Norwood practice and from 1882 as prosector in anatomy of the Royal College of Surgeons, qualifying L.S.A.

During this period he carried out innovative surgeries, including a hysterectomy and treatment of an ectopic pregnancy;[1][4] according to his obituary in The Lancet these procedures were "the first of their kind in this country".

[1] Plimmer also worked on the protozoan Toxoplasma,[4] and published reports on parasites found in the blood of animals who died at London Zoo.

[1] In 1887, he married Helena, the widow of Alfred Aders; they lived in Norwood, Sydenham (from 1889) and St John's Wood (after 1896).

[9] An Imperial College fellowship was established in his name for the study of pathology, anatomy, microbiology or related disciplines.