Person
Embling, Thomas (1814 - 1893)
- Born
- 26 August 1814
Oxford, United Kingdom - Died
- 17 January 1893
Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Medical practitioner and Politician
Summary
Thomas Embling was a medical practitioner who was in practice for 12 years in England before migrating to Australia with his family in 1850. He was particularly interested in the treatment of the mentally ill. In 1852 he became Resident Medical Officer at the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum. His attempts to reform the treatment of patients were undermined by the Superintendent George Watson. Following a parliamentary inquiry, the report of which supported Embling, all staff at the Asylum were dismissed. Embling subsequently entered private practice in the suburb of Fitzroy. He was concerned with a wide range of public issues, including the Eureka Stockade and the 8-hour day movement. He was elected to the Victorian parliament in 1855 and served three terms, finally returning to medical practice in 1869. Embling was an enthusiastic supporter of acclimatisation, being particularly interested in the importation of alpacas and camels. He was a foundation member and member of council of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. In 2000 the Thomas Embling Hospital, a secure forensic mental heath hospital, was opened on a site adjacent to the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum.
Details
Chronology
- 1837
- Education - Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, United Kingdom
- 1838
- Education - Licentiate, Society of Apothecaries, United Kingdom
- 1838 - 1850
- Career position - In private practice, Brompton, United Kingdom
- 1850
- Life event - Migrated to Australia
- January 1852 - August 1852
- Career position - Resident Medical Officer, Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum
- 1853
- Career position - In private practice in Fitzroy
- 1855 - 1856
- Career position - Member for Bourke, Legislative Council, Parliament of Victoria
- 1856 - 1861
- Career position - Member for Fitzroy, Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Victoria
- 1858 - 1860
- Career position - Member, Management Committee, Melbourne Zoological Gardens
- 1861 - ?
- Career position - Foundation Member and Member of Council, Acclimatisation Society of Victoria
- 1866 - 1867
- Career position - Member for Fitzroy, Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Victoria
- 1869
- Career event - Returned to medical practice
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Kennedy, Richard, 'Embling, Thomas (1814 - 1893), medical practitioner and parliamentarian' in Australian dictionary of biography volume 4:1851 - 1890 D-J, Nairn, Bede, Serle, Geoffrey and Ward, Russell, eds (Carlton Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1972), pp. 140-1. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/embling-thomas-3483. Details
Journal Articles
- Gillbank, Linden, 'The Origins of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria: Practical Science in the Wake of the Gold Rush', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (3) (1986), 359-374. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9860630359. Details
- Gillbank, Linden Rae, 'The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria', Victorian historical journal, 51 (4) (1980), 255-70. Details
Theses
- Bonwick, Richard, 'The history of the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum, Melbourne', Thesis, University of Melbourne, 1995, [113] pp. Details
See also
- Brothers, C. R. D., Early Victorian psychiatry, 1835 - 1905 (Melbourne: Mental Health Authority, Victoria, 1962). Details
- Thomson, Kathleen and Serle, Geoffrey, A biographical register of the Victorian parliament 1859 - 1900 (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1972), 238 pp. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/114931/2/b14277530.pdf. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 31 October 2023