Advancing with the Army: Medicine, the Professions and Social Mobility in the British Isles 1790-1850
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Author Description
Providing the first ever statistical study of a professional cohort in the era of the industrial revolution, this prosopographical study of some 450 surgeons who joined the army medical service during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, charts the background, education, military and civilian career, marriage, sons' occupations, wealth at death, and broader social and cultural interests of the members of the cohort. It reveals the role that could be played by the nascent professions in this period in promoting rapid social mobility. The group of medical practitioners selected for this analysis did not come from affluent or professional families but profited from their years in the army to build up a solid and sometimes spectacular fortune, marry into the professions, and place their sons in professional careers. The study contributes to our understanding of Britishness in the period, since the majority of the cohort came from small-town and rural Scotland and Ireland but seldom found their wives in the native country and frequently settled in London and other English cities, where they often became pillars of the community.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This study investigates the extent to which military service functioned as a catalyst for social mobility among medical professionals in the British Isles during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. The authors, a collaborative team of historians, utilize a prosopographical approach to analyze a cohort of 450 surgeons. By tracking their life trajectories—from education and military service to marriage and wealth accumulation—the researchers argue that the army provided a critical pathway for men from modest backgrounds to ascend into the professional middle class.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Statistical analysis of 450 surgeons serving between 1790 and 1850
- Data on career progression, marriage patterns, and intergenerational social mobility
- Examination of geographical migration from Scotland and Ireland to English urban centers
- Analysis of wealth accumulation and community integration
Scope Limits
- The study is restricted to the specific cohort of army medical officers and does not represent the entire medical profession of the era
- The analysis focuses primarily on the British Isles and does not extend to colonial medical practices
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of professionalization and social history during the Industrial Revolution. Scholars frequently cite the book for its rigorous statistical methodology and its nuanced exploration of how military service shaped the British professional identity.
Page Count:
408
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191514837
ISBN-13:
9780191514838
History
Military History
British History
European History
MEDICAL History
Prosopography
Social History