Person

Embling, Thomas (1814 - 1893)

Born
26 August 1814
Oxford, United Kingdom
Died
17 January 1893
Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Medical practitioner and Politician

Summary

Thomas Embling was a medical practitioner who was in practice for 12 years in England before migrating to Australia with his family in 1850. He was particularly interested in the treatment of the mentally ill. In 1852 he became Resident Medical Officer at the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum. His attempts to reform the treatment of patients were undermined by the Superintendent George Watson. Following a parliamentary inquiry, the report of which supported Embling, all staff at the Asylum were dismissed. Embling subsequently entered private practice in the suburb of Fitzroy. He was concerned with a wide range of public issues, including the Eureka Stockade and the 8-hour day movement. He was elected to the Victorian parliament in 1855 and served three terms, finally returning to medical practice in 1869. Embling was an enthusiastic supporter of acclimatisation, being particularly interested in the importation of alpacas and camels. He was a foundation member and member of council of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. In 2000 the Thomas Embling Hospital, a secure forensic mental heath hospital, was opened on a site adjacent to the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum.

Details

Chronology

1837
Education - Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, United Kingdom
1838
Education - Licentiate, Society of Apothecaries, United Kingdom
1838 - 1850
Career position - In private practice, Brompton, United Kingdom
1850
Life event - Migrated to Australia
January 1852 - August 1852
Career position - Resident Medical Officer, Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum
1853
Career position - In private practice in Fitzroy
1855 - 1856
Career position - Member for Bourke, Legislative Council, Parliament of Victoria
1856 - 1861
Career position - Member for Fitzroy, Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Victoria
1858 - 1860
Career position - Member, Management Committee, Melbourne Zoological Gardens
1861 - ?
Career position - Foundation Member and Member of Council, Acclimatisation Society of Victoria
1866 - 1867
Career position - Member for Fitzroy, Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Victoria
1869
Career event - Returned to medical practice

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Book Sections

  • Kennedy, Richard, 'Embling, Thomas (1814 - 1893), medical practitioner and parliamentarian' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 4: 1851 - 1890 D-J, Douglas Pike, ed. (Carlton Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1972), pp. 140-1. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/embling-thomas-3483. Details

Journal Articles

  • Gillbank, Linden, 'The Origins of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria: Practical Science in the Wake of the Gold Rush', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (3) (1986), 359-374. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9860630359. Details
  • Gillbank, Linden Rae, 'The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria', Victorian historical journal, 51 (4) (1980), 255-70. Details

Theses

  • Bonwick, Richard, 'The history of the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum, Melbourne', Thesis, University of Melbourne, 1995, [113] pp. Details

See also

Helen Cohn

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