Biography:
– Born on 3 August 1854 in Woolwich
– Started career as a pharmacist in Highbridge, Somerset
– Trained as a doctor at Bristol University
– Recruited by Frances Power Cobbe for British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
– Active in general practice until his death in 1932
Vegetarianism:
– Became a vegetarian in his early twenties
– Successfully lived six months without eating meat
– Stated satisfaction with vegetarianism
– Expressed strong opposition to eating meat
– Maintained vegetarian lifestyle throughout his life
Manslaughter trial:
– Applied rejection of germ theory to medical treatment
– Refused to use diphtheria anti-serum from animals
– Tried for manslaughter in 1924 for Nellie Burnham’s death
– Acquitted of all charges
– Trial highlighted his controversial medical beliefs
Selected publications:
– “Is Flesh-Eating Harmful?” (1895)
– “The Case Against Vaccination” (1896)
– “Smallpox at Gloucester: A Reply to Dr. Couplands Report” (1902)
– “Vivisection: Its Follies and Cruelties” (1905)
– Engaged in debates on vivisection and vaccination
Further reading:
– “Who Was Dr Hadwen Biography” at Dr Hadwen Trust
– “Bodily Matters: The Anti-Vaccination Movement in England, 1853-1907” by Nadja Durbach
– “Hadwen of Gloucester: Man, Medico, Martyr” by Beatrice E. Kidd and M. Edith Richards
– “Obituary, The Times, Saturday, 25 February 1933” John Murray, London, 1933
– Various works on vegetarianism and animal welfare by different authors
Walter Robert Hadwen MRCS MRCP (3 August 1854 – 27 December 1932) was an English general practitioner, pharmaceutical chemist and writer. He was president of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) and an anti-vaccination campaigner, known for his denial of the germ theory of disease.
Walter Hadwen | |
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| Born | Walter Robert Hadwen 3 August 1854 Woolwich, England |
| Died | 27 December 1932 (aged 78) Gloucester, England |
| Alma mater | Bristol University |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Alice Harral (m. 1878) |
| Children | 3 |