Dr. Thomas Lindsley Bradford was born in 1847, on 6th June. He was a native of Francestown, New Hampshire. He was a descendant of learned and powerful families on both his paternal and maternal side, his ancestors being lawyers and statesmen. His maternal grandfather was also a member of Congress for a certain period. Dr. T. L. Bradford was known to be a literary personality and was dear to many students in medical colleges of Homoeopathy. His contributions to maintaining the works and treasures of Homoeopathy remain unparalleled. He is defined as one of the main historians of Homoeopathy alongside Dr. Haehl and King.
He was also a teacher of Dr. Richard Haehl. Dr. Bradford never shied away from praising his fellow homoeopaths. He remarked about Dr. Dudgeon that “…no one has done more to render the writings of Hahnemann accessible to the English-speaking world”
Education and Early Career
Bradford gained his literary education at the Academy of Francestown and the Philips Academy, a famous educational institute. His medical education was acquired from Harvard Medical School from 1866 to 1867 and later from the Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, where he received his degree in 1869.
He started practicing medicine in Skowhegan, Maine where he practiced for 3 years and then went abroad to visit different medical institutions in famous cities of London, Paris, etc. On returning, he resumed his Skowhegan clinic until 1877, when he moved to Philadelphia permanently.
Family
He was born to Thomas Bixby Bradford and Emily Hutchinson Brown. His lineage can be traced back to Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. On his mother’s side, his grandfather, Titus Brown, was a distinguished lawyer and statesman in New Hampshire, who also served as a member of Congress from 1824 to 1828. He got married to Eliza Virginia Hough, on June 15, 1887.
Homoeopathic career
It was after permanently shifting his residence that he gained fame and became a conspicuous figure in homoeopathic circles in Philadelphia. He became famous in the medical colleges of Philadelphia especially as he authored many homoeopathic publications. He also stood out for treating paediatric cases.
He joined the Hahnemann Medical College as a Faculty and from 1894 became the Curator of the college’s library. From 1895 to 1900 he also lectured on the history of medicine at this college. Later, he became the Chief Curator at the library.
While working as the curator of the college library, he created Bradford’s Scrapbook, a collection of 35 volumes meticulously arranged alphabetically. These volumes are filled with letters, photos, and other collectibles that hold great value to homoeopaths all over the world.
Dr. Bradford was a resident physician at The Children’s Homoeopathic Hospital of Philadelphia. This hospital was one of the busiest medical institutions in the world, founded as a public charity.
Esteemed Member of Different Societies
In the same year when he got his medical degree in 1869, he also became a member of the American Institute of Homoeopathy and of the Maine State Homoeopathic Medical Society. In 1891, he became a member of the Philadelphia County Homoeopathic Medical Society and the Homoeopathic Medical Society of Pennsylvania in 1894. He was a member of the Philadelphia County Homoeopathic Medical Society.
Publications of Dr. Bradford
His literary works include:
- Homoeopathic Bibliography of the United States, 1892
- History of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia, 1898
- History of the Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania
- Index to Homoeopathic Provings, 1902
- Life and Letters of Hahnemann, 1895
- The Pioneers of Homoeopathy, 1898
- The Logic of Figures, 1900
- A Characteristic Materia Medica,
- Historical sketch of Boenninghausen’s life in Boenninghausen’s Characteristics and Repertory by Dr. C.M. Boger.
- Autobiography of a baby, 1912
- The Bibliographer’s Manual of American History, 1907
- Biographical index of the graduates of the Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania and the Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia: including a history of the college and hospital, a list of all the graduates arranged by years of graduation, also a list of the graduates who are now in the medical military service of the United States, 1918)
- Complete list of homoeopathic medical journals published in the United States between the years 1835-1868, 1888
- Quiz questions on the history of medicine. From the lectures of Thomas Lindsley Bradford,1898
- He also contributed to many articles and edited the King’s four-volume History of Homoeopathy.
Demise
He passed away at the age of 71 years, on December 13, 1918.
About the Authors
Prof. (Dr.) Subhas Singh1, Dr. Rumsha Tamkeen2, Dr. Vaishnavi Achrekar2, Dr. Jyotidarshanee2
1. Director, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata
2. PGT, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata
