John White (English polymath 1751–1809)

Sir John White (5 April 1751 [O.S. 25 March 1751, Lady Day] – 21 March 1809), was an English polymath and reformer, also known by various names including John Whyte, Abba, Aaba, and Jan Aabba. He was born on the top floor of Whites in White Piccadilly, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, where his family residence formed part of his maternal uncle Abraham Hatchett’s White Horse Inn, a renowned international coaching company.

He and his wife Doktor Ilis, also known as Mama or Mother Elis are remembered as the founders of the Westminster Infirmary of Chichest, or Old Westminster Infirmary and as the spiritual founders of what became known; through various historical, official and local names, as Westminster Hospital, Old Westminster, Westminster Medical College, Sahhiyah, later also referred to as Urmia University of Medical Sciences.[1][2].

The institution is considered the earliest provider of free Western medical care in the region and contributed to establishing the medical facilities that eventually formed the foundations of Iran’s first modern Western medical school.

On 21 March 1809, the first day of Persian new year (1 Farvardin 1188 SH), and during the height of the Russia-Iranian War, he was shot in the head by Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli, shortly after his 14-year-old son William was also killed by Ishaq Pasha, who was locally known as “Ishaq the Dung Pasha”, the son of the same unpopular and oppressive khan.

Urmia University of Medical Sciences was re-established on the site of the Old Westminster Infirmary by Joseph Plumb Cochran in 1879.[3][4][5]

In 2007, the website of Urmia University credits the establishment of the Westminster Infirmary and its continued services with “lowering the infant mortality rate in the region".[1], also establishing the first modern Western hospital in Iran.[6]

In 1907, Samuel Clement built a New Westminster Hospital in the inner city of Urmia.[7][8].

References

  1. ^ Afshar, Ahmadreza (2017-12-01). "The Westminster Medical College and Hospital in Urmia, Iran, 1879-1915". Archives of Iranian Medicine. 20 (12): 760–766. PMID 29664317.
  2. ^ "The Westminster Medical College and Hospital in Urmia, Iran, 1879-1915". PubMed. National Library of Medicine. 2017-12-30. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  3. ^ Speer, Robert Elliott (1911). The Hakim Sahib, the Foreign Doctor: A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M. D., of Persia. New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-7950-1105-4. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  4. ^ Sheikhi, Siamak; Mobaraki, Kazhal; Ahmadzadeh, Jamal; Akhavan, Ghazal; Derafshpour, Leila (2020). "In Honor of Dr. Joseph Plumb Cochran, the Founder of the First Modern Iranian Medical School". Journal of Research on History of Medicine. 9: 179–188. ISSN 2251-886X.
  5. ^ Yourdshahian, Esmail; Ghavam, Farrokh; Ansari, Mohhamad-Hassan (April 2002). "Life of Dr. Joseph Plumb Cochran, Founder of Iran's First Contemporary Medical College". Archives of Iranian Medicine. 5 (2). University of Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19.
  6. ^ Aro, Margaret Packard (2003). Hakim Sahib, "Sir Doctor": The Great Adventure Story of a Missionary Surgeon and Sometimes Diplomat to Persia, Dr. Harry P. Packard, 1874-1954. Colorado Springs, CO.: Out of the Box Publishing. ISBN 978-0974883106.
  7. ^ "Chapter 9 The Lazarist (Vincentian) Mission (1838–70): The Catholic Mission in Urmia (Urmi), Persian Azarbaijan and Tehran". Brill. BRILL. 2025-10-30. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Medical Missionary to Persia For 40 Years Passes Away". News Papers. Daily News-Post. 1954-09-03. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
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