After finding out that William had some sort of nerve inflammation going on, they started to investigate and soon learned that it was in fact the result of the nerve irritation caused by a previous case of a similar nature. William’s wife, Julia, had been having problems with a piece of shingles, which would often send her into unconsciousness. The Clayfield family practice discovered that the problem was actually caused by a leaky vein in the back of her leg. Once they had fixed this issue, Julia began to feel better, and by the end of the year, she was feeling better.
A Family Practice in Clayfield
One of the most famous and longest-running practices in all of medicine, located in Manchester England is that of the Clayfield family. This family practice has operated for over a hundred years, during which time they have seen some pretty amazing developments. For instance, in the early part of their practice, they were responsible for training the very first neurologist, William Powell. While he was an amazing medical pioneer, he never treated his patients with neurological symptoms exclusively, so when he started to feel numbness in his hands and feet, he looked at the possible reasons for this.
While William and Julia’s story is certainly remarkable, there are many more like them in the British medical history books. One such case that stands out is the work of Thomas Coleman, who despite being a heart surgeon, was also a medical assistant. His wife had just given birth to their first child, and while he tended to her with his heart and hand, he continued to work as a medical assistant in the nearby town of Wellingborough, earning a living and providing good care for his family.
