The son of Robert Southey (1745–1792) by his wife, Margaret Hill (1752–1802), and younger brother of
Robert Southey, the poet, he was born in
Bristol on 18 January 1784. After education at private schools in and near
Great Yarmouth, his brother Robert proposed to establish him in his house in London in order that he might study anatomy under
Sir Anthony Carlisle at
Westminster Hospital. The project fell through, and Henry studied surgery at Norwich under
Philip Meadows Martineau (d. 1828), uncle of
Harriet Martineau and one of the most distinguished
Lithogists of his day - the two surgeons maintaining their professional relationship throughout their careers. At Norwich Southey also he met
William Taylor of
Norwich, who interested him in other studies. In November 1803 he entered the
University of Edinburgh, where
Sir William Knighton and Dr.
Robert Gooch were his fellow students and friends. He had acquired facility in colloquial Latin, and used to talk it with his friends. He graduated M.D. on 24 June 1806, reading a dissertation ‘De ortu et progressu syphilidis’ (Edinburgh, 1806), in which he maintained the American origin of
syphilis. He then studied for a winter in London, and settled in the following year at
Durham; but moved back to London by the advice of Sir William Knighton in 1812. He became a licentiate of the
Royal College of Physicians on 22 December 1812, and was elected a fellow on 25 June 1823. On 25 April 1825 he was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society. He delivered the
Harveian oration in 1847, was elected physician to the
Middlesex Hospital on 17 August 1815 and held office till April 1827. He was appointed physician
in ordinary to George IV in 1823, in 1830 physician extraordinary to
Queen Adelaide, and in 1833 lord chancellor's visitor in lunacy. He became a
commissioner in lunacy in September 1836, and was
Gresham Professor of Medicine from 1834 to 1865. On 16 June 1847 he was created hon. D.C.L. at Oxford. He lived in
Queen Anne Street,
Cavendish Square. He died at 1
Harley Street on 13 June 1865, and was buried in
Highgate Cemetery. ==Family==