1. Sir Raymond Henry Payne Crawfurd FRCP was a British physician and writer who, in addition to being active in post graduate medical education, took up numerous clinical and administrative responsibilities, including Registrar and examiner to the Royal College of Physicians, the Dean of Kings College Hospital Medical School, now King's College London GKT School of Medical Education, and Chair of Epsom College Council.
Raymond Crawfurd gave the FitzPatrick Lectures in 1911 and 1912, the first which was expanded into one of the most comprehensive accounts of the royal touch and scrofula and the second into a book about Plague in art and literature.
Raymond Crawfurd was born in East Grinstead on 9 November 1865, the youngest of the six sons of the Reverend Charles Walter Payne Crawfurd and Mary, daughter of James Adey Ogle, Regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford.
Raymond Crawfurd took up resident posts at the King's College Hospital and became assistant physician to the Victoria Hospital for Children.
The LPA offered London's practitioners clinical material courses from numerous major London hospitals and Raymond Crawfurd soon became its secretary.
In 1913, Raymond Crawfurd was a major contributor at an International Conference on postgraduate medical education.
Raymond Crawfurd became a member of council at Epsom College in 1915, following which he was elected chairman of the school committee in 1918, and vice-chairman of council in 1921.
Raymond Crawfurd secured the admission of medical women to the benefits of the foundation, influenced acts of parliament and made administrative changes.
Raymond Crawfurd's wish was to "make the subject part of the general history of England" and his view he declared, was that "to isolate medical history from general history is, in my opinion, to sterilize it".
Raymond Crawfurd described how the 11th century French custom of touching for the King's Evil was observed by virtually all kings of England from Edward the confessor to George I Crawfurd explained how medical men gained courage to be sceptical after William III's dismissal of the touch.
Raymond Crawfurd's research went on to encompass the use of coins bearing images of Charles I as alternatives to the touch, and how these coins were passed down through generations.
However, Raymond Crawfurd recognised that scrofula was a general term given to a number of diseases.
Raymond Crawfurd clearly stated that "no word in the whole of medical terminology has been more ill-used than the word 'scrofula'".
Raymond Crawfurd was a firm supporter of Sir William Osler in forming a dedicated section to history of medicine at the RSM and recorded how Sir William's influence had been an attraction in recruiting members.
Raymond Crawfurd later became president of the Section in 1916 and took up responsibilities on the library committee at RSM, both following on from Sir Norman Moore.
Raymond Crawfurd died at 11 Beamont street, in London, from a heart attack, on 9 March 1938, at the age of 72.
Raymond Crawfurd co-authored the fourth and fifth editions of Burney Yeo's Manual of Treatment and made contributions to numerous medical journals including The Lancet, Edinburgh Medical Journal and Practitioner in addition to many books on various history of medicine topics.