LANKESTER

Lankester made a major contribution to the control of cholera in London. He was the first public analyst in England. He was a close personal friend of Darwin. The cause of London's cholera outbreaks had been identified by John Sutherland (1808–1891) and Dr John Snow (1813–1858) author of the famous map of water pumps near Broad Street. The matter was not decided until Lankester formed a committee to look into the latest outbreak. The friend he is referring to is probably the pioneering dentist Mr Edwin SAUNDERS (1814-1901), who was a medical colleague of Lankester’s. Mr Saunders would later become Sir Edwin Saunders: “In 1883 he was knighted, being the first dentist to receive that honour” (Oxford DNB). From 1846, he was “dentist to Queen Victoria, the prince consort, and the other members of the royal family”