James Goodshaw 1797 - 1851

James Goodshaw 1797 - 1851 was an Irish orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy.

James Goodshaw was on the medical Council of the London Homeopathic Hospital, and he was a member of the British Homeopathic Society, and an Honorary member of the British Homeopathic Association.

James Goodshaw was a colleague of Hugh Cameron, John Chapman, Matthew James Chapman, Edward Charles Chepmell, Paul Francois Curie, John James Drysdale, Harris F Dunsford, Edward Hamilton, Joseph Kidd, Thomas Robinson Leadam, J Bell Metcalfe, Victor Massol, Frederick Hervey Foster Quin, Henry Reynolds, John Rutherford Russell, David Wilson, Stephen Yeldham and many others.

James Goodshaw converted to homeopathy in his late 40s, and studied vigorously to become proficient. In 1844, he set up the first Homeopathic Dispensary in Ireland, in Abbey Street Dublin at his own expense.

As he was already the physician of the Clergy Son’s School in Lucan and the Dunboyne Dispensary, but this workload forced him to retire early into private practice in Dublin.

James Goodshaw’s practice in Dublin was very successful, which of course attracted vitriolic attacks from the local allopaths, which upset James Goodshaw greatly and most likely exacerbated his early demise at the age of 54 from valvular heart disease.

James Goodshaw, MD, died on 27/9/1851, aged 54 years [headstone, St Mary’s] and was buried about 2/10/1851 at St Mary’s CofI Leixlip (burial records). His wife Margaret died 24/12/1885 aged 76 and is buried at Glasgow Cathedral in her father’s, John Buchanan’s, plot [Headstone, St Mary’s]…

James Goodshaw, of Leixlip, had by now moved to 16 Fitzwilliam Sq Sth, having qualified in Edinburgh as an MD in 1843, having earlier practised in Lucan, Clondalkin, Dunboyne and Rathcoole as a dispensary doctor, having earlier been an apothecary. [Medical Directory for Ireland, 1852 p 47]

He had moved to 122 Abbey St Upper, Dublin by 1854 [ibid]. Henry Shaw’s “The Dublin Pictorial Guide & Directory of 1850” has Goodshaw at his Fitzwilliam Square address in 1850, and at his Abbey Street address he was in practice with John Blyth, being described as “medical doctors, Dublin Homeopathic Medical Institution”.

James Goodshaw’s Obituary is in The British Journal of Homeopathy, and in The British and Foreign Homeopathic Medical Directory and Record in 1852.

Of interest:

George Goodshaw was a homeopath who practiced in Glastonbury in 1845.