Sir Erasmus Wilson, (1809-1884):
surgeon and archaeologist

Sir Erasmus Wilson

Sir Erasmus Wilson, drawn by 'Spy', for Vanity Fair

Wilson was a British surgeon, born in London, and best known as a specialist on skin diseases. He paid £10,000 to transport Cleopatra's Needle (c.1475 BCE) from Egypt to London.

President of  the College of Surgeons and of the Biblical Archaeology Society, Wilson was also one of the first shareholders in the London Provincial Turkish Bath Company Ltd.

His book The Eastern, or Turkish bath: its history, revival in Britain and application to the purpose of health (1861) went into several editions and was widely quoted.

This page enlarges an image or adds to the information found below:

Turkish baths for animals. Part 3: Turkish baths for racehorses

Plan of Wilson's hot room

Wilson's dureta

Early problems and controversies. Part 8: shampooing and nakedness

Victorian Turkish baths for animals in Victorian London and Middlesex

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Victorian Turkish Baths: their origin, development, and gradual decline

 
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