Henry Solomon Wellcome was born on 23 August 1853 in a log cabin in Wisconsin, in the American Midwest. His parents were Mary Curtis and farmer/Adventist Minister Solomon Cumming Wellcome.
When Henry was eight years old the family moved to Garden City, in the new state of Minnesota. Henry had a basic education, leaving school at fourteen to work in the drugstore owned by his uncle Jacob, also Garden City’s doctor.
Invisible Ink
Henry’s interest in science and medicine grew rapidly and at sixteen he invented and marketed “Wellcome’s Magic Ink” – invisible ink. Henry’s goal was to escape from the stifling restrictions of his parents’ Adventist beliefs and the low-paid work in his uncle’s shop. He achieved this goal through self-education and a strong will to succeed.
Tabloid Tablets – a Fortune to be Made
In 1879, he graduated from college and joined a friend, Silas Mainville Burroughs, in London. (Wellcome was granted British citizenship in 1910.) They formed a partnership to market medicines in tablet form: hitherto, medicines were mostly sold as powders or liquids so medicines in tablet form had great potential. Their company, Burroughs Wellcome & Co., marketed the tablets under the trademark “Tabloid” - a word apparently invented by Henry by combining “tablet” and “ovoid”. Wellcome and Burroughs became millionaires almost overnight.
Travelling Medical Chests
They also invented the Travelling Medical Chest and Wellcome presented the first chest to Sir Henry Stanley, the man who found David Livingstone. With Burroughs’ expertise as a salesman and Wellcome’s experience as publicist sales of this item rocketed: their customers even included Theodore Roosevelt.
However, this was not a happy partnership. Wellcome said: “Never tell anyone what you propose to do until you have done it.” Perhaps this secrecy, coupled with his frequent overseas adventures, put too much strain on the relationship. In 1887 Burroughs tried gain control of the company. A bitter row continued into the early 1890s when the law courts came down in favour of Wellcome. Burroughs died of pneumonia in 1895 and Wellcome gained full control of the company.
A Passion for Research
Wellcome established several laboratories including the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories in 1894 and the Chemical Research Laboratories in 1896. Following a visit to Sudan in 1900 he set up the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research for the investigation of tropical diseases.
Wellcome and Marriage
In 1901 Wellcome married Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo who was 27 years his junior. She was the daughter of Thomas John Barnardo who set up the children's charity.
The marriage failed for various reasons. Wellcome was away from home for long periods of time and friends of Syrie claimed that he beat his wife. These weren’t the only rumours. John Bull magazine accused him of beating his native workers whilst in Sudan. While married to Wellcome Syrie had a daughter by the author Somerset Maugham. Wellcome divorced Syrie in 1915 and she then married and subsequently divorced Maugham.
The Wellcome Foundation Limited
In 1924 Wellcome created The Wellcome Foundation Limited bringing together all his various projects. In 1932, in acknowledgement of his work he received a Knighthood and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. On his death in 1936 Wellcome’s will established The Wellcome Trust, which is now the world's largest private biomedical charity.
Wellcome’s Incredible Collection
During his lifetime he amassed more than one million objects of which 120,000 related directly to medicine. His collection forms the basis of London’s newest visitor attraction where hundreds of interesting, beautiful and bizarre items can be seen. The Wellcome Collection can be found at 183 Euston Road, London and is well worth a visit.
