William Babington (physician) - Life and Work

Life and Work

Babington was physician to Guy's Hospital from 1795 to 1811. He was a founder member of the Geological Society of London and served as president from 1822 to 1824. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1805.

He was the curator for the enormous mineral collection of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. When Bute died in 1792, Babington bought the collection. The mineral Babingtonite is named after him.

William and Martha Elizabeth Babington were married before 1794, and had four sons and four daughters between 1794 and 1810. Babington died on 29 April 1833 and was buried at St. Mary Aldermanbury in London. He left a son, Benjamin Guy Babington, also physician to Guy's Hospital, and a daughter, Martha, who married the physician Richard Bright.

A statue of Babington by William Behnes (1795–1864) is in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

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