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Authorised form of nameWright; Sir; Almroth Edward (1861 - 1947); medical scientist
Dates1861 - 1947
NationalityBritish
Place of birthMiddleton Tyas, near Richmond, Yorkshire, England
Date of birth10 August 1861
Place of deathHis home, Southernwood, Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, England
Date of death30/04/1947
Occupationmedical scientist
Research fieldBacteriology
Immunology
Medicine
ActivityEducation:
Privately educated at home; Royal Academical Institution, Belfast; Trinity College, Dublin MD (Dubl)
Career:
Demonstrator of pathology at Cambridge (1887); moved to Sydney, Australia, returning to England to work in a newly opened conjoint laboratories of the two royal colleges; professor of pathology at the army medical school at Netley, Hampshire (1892-1902); served on the Indian plague commission (1898–9); left the army medical school and took up the appointment of pathologist at St Mary's Hospital, London (1902); travelled to South Africa to study pneumonia among the African workers in the Rand goldmines (1911); on his return he devoted his time to full-time research; appointed director of the bacteriological department of the newly founded Medical Research Committee (later Council) (1913) but was prevented from taking it up due to the outbreak of the First World War; went to France as a temporary colonel in the Army Medical Service setting up a laboratory in the casino at Boulogne (1914); returned to St Mary’s focusing on problems of immunisation, specifically the changes induced in the blood response to vaccination by bacterial products (1918-1943).
Honours:
Kt 1906; CB 1915; KBE 1919
Awards/Medals:
Leconte prize 1915
First gold medal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1920
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election03/05/1906
Age at election45
ProposerAugustus Desire Waller; Walter Holbrook Gaskell; Leonard Erskine Hill; William Osler; Charles Scott Sherrington; Patrick Manson; Edward Waymouth Reid; Victor Horsley
Royal Society activityMedals and prizes:
Buchanan Medal 1917
RelationshipsParents: Revd Charles Henry Hamilton Wright (1836–1909), an eminent Hebraist and militant protestant, and Ebba Johanna Dorothea, daughter of Nils Wilhelm Almroth, governor of the royal mint, Stockholm.
Brother: Sir Charles Theodore Hagberg Wright, librarian to the London Library.
Spouse: Jane Georgina Wilson (d. 1926), daughter of Robert Mackay Wilson JP, of Coolcarrigan, co. Kildare (1889).
Children: Edward Robert Mackay Wright (1890-1913); Leonard Almoth Wilson Wright (1891-1972); Doris Helena MacNaughton Wright (1894-1990).
Published worksRCN 21149
RCN 21888
RCN 16359
General contextKnown for vaccination through the use of autogenous vaccines.
Remembered for his strong opposition to women's suffrage, opining that women's brains are incapable of understanding social and public issues. His strong views were used as the model for the character Sir Colenso Ridgeon in George Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma.
Royal Society Obituary or MemoirClick to view (may be contained within a meeting notice, presidential address or list of death notices)
SourcesSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Obituaries:
Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1948-1949 vol 6 pp 297-314, plate, by L Colebrook
Royal Society codeNA1246
Archives associated with this Fellow
Reference numberTitleDate
EC/1906/16Wright, Sir Almroth Edward: certificate of election to the Royal Society
IM/005016Wright, Sir Almroth Edwardnd
RR/15/136Referee's report by Charles Scott Sherrington, on a paper 'The influence of lymph on blood coagulability' by Almroth Edward Wright21 November 1900
RR/15/410Referee's report by Edward Emanuel Klein, on a paper 'On the measurement of the bactericidal power of small samples of blood under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and on the comparative bactericidal effect of human blood drawn off and tested under these contrasted conditions' by Almroth Edward Wright and F N WindsorJune 1902
RR/15/409Referee's report by Sidney Harris Cox Martin, on a paper 'On the measurement of the bactericidal power of small samples of blood under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and on the comparative bactericidal effect of human blood drawn off and tested under these contrasted conditions' by Almroth Edward Wright and F N WindsorJune 1902
RR/15/318Referee's report by Sidney Harris Cox Martin, on a paper 'The measurement of the bactericidal power of small samples of blood under aerobic and anaerobic condition, & on the results of certain investigations carried out by the procedures described' by Almroth Edward Wright and Captain Windsor15 May 1902
MC/19/864Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 7 Lower Seymour Street, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison23 January 1904
NLB/23/2/233Copy letter from Joseph Larmor, to Professor Almroth Edward Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society]15 July 1902
NLB/25/57Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor A E Wright, to the Army Medical School, Netley1 August 1902
NLB/25/604Copy telegram from an unknown correspondent, to Almroth Edward Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society][25 November 1902]
NLB/25/453Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor Almroth Edward Wright, Army Medical School, Netley7 November 1902
NLB/29/229Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society], and Captain S R Douglas11 August 1904
NLB/29/230Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society], and Captain S R Douglas11 August 1904
NLB/36/575Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Messrs Harrison & Sons9 November 1907
NLB/31/837Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr [Almroth Edward] Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society]23 November 1905
NLB/33/1Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, Fellow of the Royal Society13 June 1906
NLB/31/916Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, 7 Lower Seymour Street, W. 8 December 1905
NLB/32/747Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to [Messrs Harrison & Sons][19 May 1906]
NLB/32/803Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, Fellow of the Royal Society, 7 Lower Seymour Street, W.28 May 1906
NLB/37/234Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Sir A [Almroth] E [Edward] Wright FRS18 February 1908
NLB/37/241Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Harrison & Sons19 February 1908
NLB/37/294Copy letter from Archibald Geikie to Sir A E Wright, MD, Fellow of the Royal Society27 February 1908
NLB/37/613Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Professor S [Sidney Harris Cox] Martin, Fellow of the Royal Society, Chairman of the Physiology Sectional Committee. 13 April 1908
NLB/37/227Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Harrison & Sons18 February 1908
NLB/41/255Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Sir Almroth Edward Wright, Fellow of the Royal Society10 November 1909
NLB/40/690Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Sir A [Almroth] E [Edward] Wright FRS 19 July 1909
NLB/42/490Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Sir Almroth Wright FRS 21 June 1910
NLB/42/437Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Sir Almroth Wright FRS 13 June 1910
MC/29/281Letter from Almroth [Edward] Wright, 6 Park Crescent, Portland Place, W, to Mr [Robert] Harrison, [Royal Society]10 December 1914
NLB/63/104Copy letter from William Bate Hardy, Secretary of the Royal Society and FRS; to Sir [Edward] Almroth Wright, FRS29 June 1922
NLB/52/510Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth Edward Wright, FRS; 39 Boulevard Dannon, Boulogne4 January 1916
NLB/54/906Copy letter from Dr. Arthur Schuster, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS1 November 1917
NLB/55/106Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS05 December 1917
RR/40/122Referee's report by William Bate Hardy, on a paper 'Further studies on intertraction' by Almroth Edward WrightJune 1929
NLB/60/400Copy letter from [Alfred Hastings] White, Assistant Librarian of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS28 January 1921
NLB/60/150Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS15 December 1920
RR/40/123Referee's report by Frederick George Donnan, on a paper 'Further studies on intertraction' by Almroth Edward WrightAugust 1929
NLB/60/326Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS20 January 1921
NLB/60/291Copy letter from William Bate Hardy, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, FRS13 January 1921
RR/17/290Referee's report by Almroth Edward Wright, on a paper 'Variations in the phagocytic power of leucocytes from different individuals' by E Glynn and Warrington YorkeApril 1908
NLB/65/597Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir John [Rose] Bradford, FRS26 November 1923
NLB/70/272Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth Wright, KBE, FRS21 February 1927
NLB/69/939Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth [Edward] Wright, K.B.E., FRS20 November 1926
NLB/72/276Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Almroth Wright, KBE, CB16 June 1929
NLB/19/518Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor Almroth Edward Wright, Fellow of the Royal Society], Army Medical School, Netley, Southampton23 October 1899
NLB/28/154Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor Almroth Edward Wright20 January 1904
MC/21/669Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 7 Lower Seymour Street, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society7 May 1906
EC/1906/15Wright, Sir Almroth Edward: certificate of election to the Royal Society
NLB/31/830Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, [Fellow of the Royal Society]21 November 1905
NLB/54/909Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to the Deputy Master of the [Royal] Mint2 November 1917
NLB/69/602Copy letter from [James Hopwood Jeans], Secretary of the Royal Society; to Prof. [John Charles Grant] Ledingham, FRS17 June 1926
RR/15/135Referee's report by William Dobinson Halliburton, on a paper 'The influence of lymph on blood coagulability' by Almroth Edward WrightFebruary 1900
RR/36/98Referee's report by Geoffrey Ingram Taylor, on a paper 'A further contribution to the study the phenomena of intertraction' by Almroth Edward Wright[February 1927]
PP/20/33Paper, 'On the leucocytes of peptone and other varieties of liquid extravascular blood' by Almroth Edward Wright1893
PP/23/19Paper, 'On the influence of carbonic acid and oxygen upon the coagulability of the blood in vivo' by Almroth Edward Wright1894
MC/23/494Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 6 Park Crescent, Portland Place, W, to The Secretaries, The Royal Society, Burlington House, W10 February 1908
MC/19/865Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 7 Lower Seymour Street, to Robert [William Frederick] Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society25 April 1904
MC/19/866'Methods of blood examination for clinical and research purposes' by [Almroth Edward] Wright[1904]
MC/19/867Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 7 Lower Seymour Street, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society30 April 1904
MC/21Volume 21 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1906
MC/19Volume 19 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1904
MC/29/279Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 6 Park Crescent, Portland Place, W, to [John Rose] Bradford, [Royal Society]30 January 1914
NLB/51/110Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society to Sir Almroth Wright FRS, 39 Boulevard Daunon, Boulogne, France11 December 1914
MC/29/280Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 6 Park Crescent, Portland Place, W, to Robert Harrison, Secretary, Royal Society, Burlington House, W6 February 1914
NLB/32/748Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Dr Almroth Edward Wright, Fellow of the Royal Society, 7 Lower Seymour Street, W.21 May 1906
MC/32/279Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 13 General Hospital, Boulogne, to [Robert] Harrison, [Royal Society]9 December 1917
MC/32/278Letter from [Almroth Edward] Wright, 13 General Hospital, Boulogne, to Professor Arthur Schuster, [Secretary], [Royal Society]14 November 1917
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