# Henry Simson

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{{Short description|British physician}}
{{distinguish|Henry Simpson (disambiguation){{!}}Henry Simpson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| name          = Henry Simson
| image         = Sir Henry Simson.png
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = Henry John Forbes Simson
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1872|12|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [Bareilly](/source/Bareilly), India
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1932|09|13|1872|12|12|df=yes}}
| death_place   = [West London Hospital](/source/West_London_Hospital), Hammersmith, London
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Physician, Obstetrician
| years_active  = 1895–1932
| known_for     = founder of the [Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists](/source/Royal_College_of_Obstetricians_and_Gynaecologists)
| notable_works = 
| spouse        = {{marriage|[Lena Ashwell](/source/Lena_Ashwell)|1908}}
}}
'''Sir Henry John Forbes Simson''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|KCVO|FRCSE|FRCP|FRCOG}} (12 December 1872 – 13 September 1932) was a British physician who became obstetrician to the British royal family and delivered (amongst many others) the future [Queen Elizabeth II](/source/Queen_Elizabeth_II) and her sister [Princess Margaret](/source/Princess_Margaret). He was one of the joint founders of the [Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists](/source/Royal_College_of_Obstetricians_and_Gynaecologists) in London.

==Life==
thumb|350px|Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh
thumb|350px|The ashes of Lena Ashwell and Sir Henry Simson, Dean Cemetery
He was born on 12 December 1872 in [Bareilly](/source/Bareilly) in India to Scottish parents, his father being Robert Simson (1827–1905) of the Bengal Civil Service, and his wife Amy Inglis (1848–1929). His paternal grandfather was Rev Henry Simson of [Garioch](/source/Garioch) in [Aberdeenshire](/source/Aberdeenshire).<ref>Grave of Robert Simson, Dean Cemetery</ref> His family returned to [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh) in Henry's youth. The family lived at 13 Grosvenor Street in Edinburgh's West End.<ref>Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1880</ref>

He was educated at the [Edinburgh Collegiate School](/source/Edinburgh_Collegiate_School) at 27/28 [Charlotte Square](/source/Charlotte_Square) then studied medicine at [Edinburgh University](/source/Edinburgh_University) graduating MB ChB in 1895.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1932.tb16082.x|title = Henry John Forbes Simson 1872-1932|journal = BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology|volume = 39|issue = 4|pages = 920–923|year = 1932|s2cid = 221490066}}</ref> He then worked variously at [Edinburgh Royal Infirmary](/source/Edinburgh_Royal_Infirmary), Edinburgh's Hospital for Sick Children and Edinburgh Maternity Hospital (under [John Halliday Croom](/source/John_Halliday_Croom)) before moving to [London](/source/London) in 1902 where he rapidly gained fame as an obstetrician. His first role was at the Hospital for Women in [Soho](/source/Soho).<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/4073 | title=Munks Roll Details for Henry John Forbes (Sir) Simson | access-date=10 June 2018 | archive-date=12 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162228/http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/4073 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) he ran the Maternity Hospital for Officers Wives in London. Around 1916 he was chosen by King [George V](/source/George_V) as official obstetrician to the British Royal Family, an ultimate accolade of trust in this field. He was created a [Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order) by the king in 1925.

He died of a [heart attack](/source/heart_attack) at the close of an operation in [West London Hospital](/source/West_London_Hospital) whilst still in the theatre, on 13 September 1932 aged 59.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1932.tb16082.x|title = Henry John Forbes Simson 1872-1932|journal = BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology|volume = 39|issue = 4|pages = 920–923|year = 1932|s2cid = 221490066}}</ref> His ashes are placed over his parents' grave in [Dean Cemetery](/source/Dean_Cemetery) in western Edinburgh. The grave lies in the northern Victorian extension on a north-south path towards the north-east, close to his cousin [Elsie Inglis](/source/Elsie_Inglis). His wife's ashes were added on her death.

==Family and private life==
In 1908, he married (in a register office) the divorced actress and socialite [Lena Ashwell](/source/Lena_Ashwell).<ref>Outrider of Empire: The Life and Adventures of Roger Pocock, by Geoffrey Pocock</ref> They were introduced by her cousin, Sir Alfred Downing. The union was childless.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.beanweb.net/ft/frippuk/images/sbda.htm |title = Profile Generated by Personal Ancestral File|accessdate=23 November 2022}}</ref>

His cousin (via his mother Amy Inglis) was [Elsie Inglis](/source/Elsie_Inglis) and she is buried nearby him. His youngest brother, Ernest Simson, served in the [Indian Medical Service](/source/Indian_Medical_Service) and died in [India](/source/India) in 1910. His younger brother, Lt Col James Robert Simson of the [Highland Light Infantry](/source/Highland_Light_Infantry), was severely wounded at the [Second Battle of Gaza](/source/Second_Battle_of_Gaza) in April 1917 and died of those wounds in hospital in England. He is buried in Dean Cemetery next to his family.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2002134/simson,-james-robert/ |title = Casualty Profile|accessdate=23 November 2022}}</ref> His cousin Harry MacDonald Simson WS married Isobel Cadell the niece of the female medical pioneer [Grace Cadell](/source/Grace_Cadell).{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Simson was a senior [Freemason](/source/Freemason) in London and a member of the [Garrick Club](/source/Garrick_Club) and the [Savile Club](/source/Savile_Club). He was a keen golfer and rugby player.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simson, Henry John Forbes}}
Category:1872 births
Category:1932 deaths
Category:People educated at Edinburgh Collegiate School
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Scottish obstetricians
Category:Burials at the Dean Cemetery
Category:Scottish Freemasons
Category:Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Henry Simson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Simson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Simson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.