Reginald Harrison; Liverpool’s first Urologist

Reginald Harrison (1837 – 1908) was one of Liverpool’s most famous surgeons; in the late 19th Century he was well known to both the London and provincial medical world. Working at both the Royal Infirmary and Northern Hospital in Liverpool he developed an interest in genito-urinary surgery, becoming a notable expert. Hence, in 1899 he moved to London where he was appointed Surgeon to St Peter’s Hospital for the Stone, England’s first urology hospital. Harrison observed Bigelow’s early cases of litholapaxy in Boston, USA and championed the technique in England. He was an expert in urethral stricture disease, favouring gentle dilatation with filliform bougies, which became known as Harrison’s Whips. He was an energetic Dean of the Liverpool Medical School and was active in its eventual rise and transformation into the University of Liverpool. He also tirelessly campaigned for the introduction of ambulances to Britain’s towns and cities. His efforts led to Europe’s first civilian hospital ambulance being introduced in 1883 at the Northern Hospital in Liverpool. Reginald Harrison is a somewhat forgotten name in urology today, but his contributions to Liverpool’s University, the Ambulance Service and British urology should be celebrated and remembered.