Claudius Amyand

Claudius Amyand was born to a huguenot family that had fled from Mornac in Xaitonge, France. The Amiands were naturalised at Westminster on September 9, 1698. Claudius Amyand served as a surgeon with the army in Flanders and became a member of the Royal Society in 1716.

He was a surgeon at St. George's Hospital in London and held the office of Surgeon-in-Ordinary (1715-1740) to King George II (1683-1760). He married Mary Rabachethey and they had three sons.

He published interesting observations on rare surgical cases in the Philosophical Transactions. His son, Sir George Amyand, first Baronet (1720-1766) became a director of the East India Company. Another son, Claudius Amyand, became Keeper of the King’s Library (the Cottonian) in 1745.

The name was probably originally spelled d’Amyand, then became de Amyand. The ”de” was later dropped.

We thank B. Marcus Bailey, Grace E. Jacobs and Jill Amyand for information submitted.

• Some Observations on the Spina, Ventosa. By the Late Claudius Amyand, Esq; F.R.S. and Serjeant-Surgeon to His Majesty.
  Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), London, 1746-1747, 44: 193-211.
• Three Cases Communicated by Claudius Amyand, Esq; F. R. S. Serjeant Surgeon to His Majesty. I. Concerning a Child Born with the Bowels Hanging out of the Belly. II. Of an Extraordinary Cause of a Suppression of Urine in a Woman. III. Of a Stricture in the Middle of the Stomach in a Girl, Dividing It into Two Bags.
  Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), London, 1731-1732: 37: 258-260.
• Of an inguinal rupture, with a pin in the appendix caeci encrusted with stone; and some observations on wounds in the gut.
  Philosophical Transactions, London, 1736, 39: 329-336.
• August Hirsch, publisher:
  Biographisches Lexikon der hervorragenden Ärzte aller Zeiten und Völker.
  2nd edition. Berlin, Urban & Schwarzenberg, 1929. First published in 6 volumes 1884-1888. 3rd edition, München 1962.