Person
Bedford, Edward Samuel Pickard (1809 - 1876)
- Born
- 1809
London, United Kingdom - Died
- 1876
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Medical practitioner, Member of Parliament and Surgeon
Summary
Edward Bedford was a surgeon who began his career apprenticed to James Scott in Hobart. After two years as Junior Assistant Surgeon at the Colonial Hospital, he went to the United Kingdom and qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London in 1833. On returning to Hobart he became one of the colony's most successful medical practitioners. Among his appointments were Assistant Colonial Surgeon (First Class), Medical Officer to the city of Hobart, commissioner for lunacy, and Justice of the Peace. As a Member of the Medical Examiners' Board he was actively involved in the recruitment of people suitable for medical careers. In 1847 he opened St Mary's Hospital, as an alternative to the Colonial Hospital. Unfortunately it closed in 1863, at least in part because the Royal College of Surgeons, London declined to recognise it. Bedford then moved to Sydney where he was appointed Medical Advisor to the Government. He was active in the promotion of vaccination against smallpox then prevalent in neighbouring colonies. From 1866 to 1873 he was Examiner in Medicine at the University of Sydney. He joined Alfred Roberts in promoting the establishment of the Prince Alfred Hospital, being appointed its first Honorary Surgeon in 1872.
Details
Chronology
- 1823
- Life event - Migrated to Van Diemen's Land with his family
- 1826 - 1828
- Career position - Junior Assistant Surgeon, Colonial Hospital, Hobart
- 1828
- Career event - Completed apprenticeship under James Scott
- 1829 - 1831
- Career position - Assistant Colonial Surgeon, Hobart
- 1831
- Career event - Travelled to London for further medical studies
- 1833
- Life event - Returned to Van Diemen's Land
- 1833
- Education - Member, Royal College of Surgeons, London
- 1833 - 1847?
- Career position - Assistant Colonial Surgeon, First Class
- 1833 - 1863
- Career position - In private practice
- 1841 - ?
- Career position - Member, Medical Examiners Board, Hobart
- 1847
- Career event - Opened St Mary's Hospital, Hobart
- 1852 - ?
- Career position - Medical Officer, City of Hobart
- 1854
- Education - Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons, London
- 1856 - 1859
- Career position - Member, Legislative Council, Parliament of Tasmania
- 1861
- Career event - Founding Member, Tasmanian Club
- 1866 - 1873
- Career position - Examiner in Medicine, University of Sydney
- 1872 - 1876
- Career position - Honorary Surgeon, Prince Alfred Hospital
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Bolger, Peter, 'Bedford, Edward Samuel Pickard (1809 - 1876), surgeon, politician and public servant' in Australian dictionary of biography volume 3: 1851 - 1890 A-C, Douglas Pike, ed. (Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1969), pp. 128-9, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bedford-edward-samuel-2962. Details
Journal Articles
- Crowther, W.E.L., 'Dr. E. S. P. Bedford and the Hospital and Medical School of Van Diemen's Land', The Medical Journal of Australia, II (1944), 25-32. Details
See also
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine online museum, Dramatis personae - Examiners: the Examiners other than those who were Fellows of Senate, Faculty of Medicine Online Museum and Archive, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2024. https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine/museum/mwmuseum/index.php/Dramatis_Personae_-_Examiners. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 8 May 2025