Frankish The Rise and Fall of a Prominent Christchurch Physician The Life of John David Frankish MD 1842-1913

John David Frankish was a leading physician in late nineteenth century Christchurch, who maintained a remarkable range of interests besides medicine. He was involved in the Acclimatisation Society, the Canterbury Jockey Club, the Coursing Club, the Kennel Club, St John Ambulance and even the Caledonian Society, though he was a Yorkshireman and not a Scot.

He was on the honorary staff of Christchurch Hospital for many years and helped found the Canterbury Medical Society, becoming its president in 1883. He was the city’s Coroner in 1881 and was well-known as a key advocate of the West Coast Railway and of better drainage for the city, pressing the case for a system of underground sewers, the first in New Zealand when completed in 1882.
His active and promising career faltered after 1887 and suffered a rapid decline after a serious illness in 1891. A trip to England restored his health but left him bankrupt in 1892. His self-treatment of pandemic influenza relied mainly on alcohol and in 1893 he suffered the indignity of court appearances and imprisonment for drunkenness. (His appearance in the dock in Cromwell must count as one of the most entertaining ever reported in New Zealand.)

This account of his life, based on archives and newspapers, recalls a prominent member of the Christchurch medical fraternity who suffered a spectacular fall after making a substantial contribution to the life of his community.

Format: Paperback
Imprint: Small New Zealand Publisher
Publication date: 01/12/2022