William Henderson

Who was William Henderson?

Dr. William Henderson was a conventionally trained Scottish physician who became an influential advocate for homeopathy in Great Britain.

William Henderson was appointed professor of general pathology at the University of Edinburgh and physician-in-ordinary to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He authored important articles on the clinical and pathological aspects of aortic and heart disease. He also contributed to the recognition as separate diseases of typhus and typhoid fever.

Henderson was early advocate for homeopathy in Scotland and was at the centre of the controversy surrounding the introduction of homeopathy to Edinburgh in the early 1840s. This involved the Faculty of Medicine, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and medical societies as well as prominent medical figures of the period including Sir John Forbes, Professor Sir James Simpson, Professor Sir Robert Christison and Professor James Syme. Many Scottish physicians were influenced by Henderson's teachings and they in turn were involved in the wider introduction of homeopathy in Britain.

In his retirement Dr. Henderson authored a reference work on the Bible that gave ample evidence of his extensive religious knowledge and deeply held convictions.