Results tagged “Dr Robert Minnitt and Dr Richard Formby” from Formby Times - Past

THIS week Times Past will reflect upon Formby's proud but rather neglected association with the medical profession.
And this link is principally based upon the lives of Dr Robert Minnitt and Dr Richard Formby. Dr Minnitt, who invented the iconic 'gas and air' machine, grew up in Formby. He lived in the Old Vicarage on Lifeboat Road, which was demolished toward the end of August earlier this year.
Richard Formby was born in 1815, and grew up in the gas light of Formby Hall. He studied law at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, a strong interest in anatomy led him to Edinburgh, where he completed a post graduate degree in medicine.
On his return to Merseyside in 1818, the following notice appeared in the Liverpool Mercury:"Dr Formby will commence a course of lectures on anatomy and physiology on Tuesday, the 17th Instant, at eight in the Morning." This was the beginning of Dr Formby's illustrious career in Liverpool, which saw him contribute to the establishment of the city's medical school and make a substantial contribution to the public health of the city.
Interestingly, it also thought that Dr Formby was fleetingly involved with the grave robbers or 'resurrectionists' who spirited bodies from graves in the dead of night.Before the Anatomy Act of 1832, the medical community relied upon this illicit trade to provide bodies for anatomical purposes, and it seems Dr Formby was no exception.
T Cecil Gray, in 'Dr Richard Formby, states:"He must have been involved with the resurrectionists, but which and where are unknown."
However, Dr Formby principal achievement was his contribution to the emergence of Liverpool Infirmary Medical School; he provided the introductory lecture on October 1 1844, and was elected Honorary Member on September 29 1864.
Dr Formby also worked for Liverpool's Lunatic Asylum, sitting on its governing committee. The doctor and his wife, Charlotte, would occasionally invite patients to their home on Formby Point, for a day of fresh air and rest.
The final chapter of Dr Formby's life is associated with Shorrocks Hill., where he built a house to spend his retirement in. Dr Formby enjoyed a happy retirement 'close to the pinewoods and dunes.' A series of heart attacks brought his life to an end in 1897, and a plaque in St Luke's Church celebrates his life.