John Keats & Henry Stephens, London UK
Posted by: Team Sieni
N 51° 30.288 W 000° 05.322
30U E 702040 N 5709981
John Keats (poet) & Henry Stephens (surgeon and inventor of blue-black ink) roomed here while medical students.
Waymark Code: WM3TZ8
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/18/2008
Views: 40
John Keats (1795 – 1821) was one of the leading poets of the English romantic movement. As a youth Keats was apprenticed to an apothecary, and before turning to poetry full time he studied medicine at Guys and in 1816 qualified as a dresser of wounds and a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries.
Dr Henry Stephens (1796-1864) set up a successful medical practice after qualifying at Guys. He also turned his chemical skills to improving the poor quality of ink. He invented blue-black ink and set up a very successful manufacturing business.
The plaque reads
On this site
Poet & Apothecary John Keats and his friend the poet, apothecary, surgeon & chemist Henry Stephens shared logings while studying at Guys & St Thomas' hospitals (1815-1816)
Unveiled as part of the "Re-weaving Rainbows" event of National Science Week 2002
Guys & St Thomas' Charities Foundation
Further information
- Wikipedia John Keats
- London SE1 Guy's colourful history
- Englishhistory.netContemporary Descriptions of John Keats - Henry Stephens' account of life with Keats
- BBC Henry 'Inky' Stephens - the inventor of blue-black ink
- Village of Redbourn brief biography of Henry Stephens