Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 37.djvu/204

 and children at King's College Hospital; from 1863 until his resignation of the post in 1874 he was physician to the Hospital for Women, Soho Square. In 1871 he became physician accoucheur to St. Mary's Hospital, a post he held until his death, and was lecturer in the medical school on the diseases of women and children. He was elected the first president of the British Gynæcological Society on its foundation in 1884, and was a corresponding member of the German, Swedish, and Boston gynæcological societies. In 1878 he attended the crown prince of Sweden while he visited England, and in recognition of his services the king of Sweden, in 1881, made him a commander of the second class of the order of Wasa. He died on Tuesday, 18 April 1887, at his house in George Street, Hanover Square, and is buried at Colnbrook, Buckinghamshire.

Meadows was an active promoter of the Guild of St. Luke. He was an energetic freemason and an officer in grand lodge, and took a leading part in founding the University of London lodge. Sir Edward Sieveking says of him: ‘He was an active and energetic man, and he was able to bring to the contested field of practice those qualities which, combined with activity and energy, insured him a large amount of success. He was kind and hospitable in all his social arrangements, a good mechanician, clever in the adoption of means to an end, and skilful in the manipulative details of his department of practice.’

He published ‘A Manual of Midwifery,’ 3rd edit. London, 1876 (the second edition was translated in 1875 into Japanese and published in 12mo), and, with Dr. Tanner, a work on the diseases of children. He was translator of Bernutz and Goupil's ‘Clinical Memoirs on the Diseases of Women’ for the New Sydenham Society, vols. i. and ii. 1866. He edited the ‘London Medical Review’ in 1860.



MEADOWS, DRINKWATER (1799–1869), actor, a native of Yorkshire, or, according to another account, of Wales, born in 1799, joined a theatrical company established in Kendal, and played in various towns in Westmoreland and Yorkshire. Subsequently he became member of a second company, playing in Lincoln, Leicester, Peterborough, and Birmingham, at which last named town he was seen and engaged by Charlton, the manager of the Bath Theatre. Meadows made his first appearance at Bath on 4 Nov. 1817 as Fogrum, Liston's part, in Morton's musical drama ‘The Slave.’ He played on the 24th Scrub in the ‘Beaux' Stratagem,’ and on 6 Dec. Clincher, jun., in the ‘Constant Couple.’ The following season he was Hempseed in the younger Colman's ‘X. Y. Z.,’ Simon in the ‘Rendezvous,’ Molino in the ‘Blind Boy,’ Adam Winterton in the ‘Iron Chest,’ Solomon Lob in ‘Love Laughs at Locksmiths,’ and Old Philpot in the ‘Citizen;’ in 1819–20 Ratcliffe in the ‘Heart of Midlothian,’ First Gravedigger in ‘Hamlet’ to Kean's Hamlet, Slender in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ Dromio of Syracuse, Clod in the ‘Young Quaker,’ and in 1820–1 Peter in the ‘Stranger,’ Laurence in the ‘Fate of Calas,’ Peter Pastoral, and Interpreter in ‘All's well that ends well.’ On 28 Sept. 1821 as Scrub he made his first appearance at Covent Garden. Here he played his old characters, replaced Liston, the original Dugald Dalgetty, in Pocock's ‘Montrose, or the Children of the Mist,’ and was seen as Crabtree in the ‘School for Scandal,’ and Filch in the ‘Beggar's Opera.’ In following seasons he was, among other characters, Don Pedro in the ‘Wonder,’ the original Timothy Quaint in Howard Payne's ‘Soldier's Daughter,’ Pacheco in ‘Brother and Sister,’ the original Nimpedo in ‘Clari, or the Maid of Milan’ (8 May 1823), Fainwou'd in ‘Raising the Wind,’ Baron Altradoff in the ‘Exile,’ Blaise in the ‘Forest of Bondy, or the Dog of Montargis,’ the original Spado in ‘Pride shall have a Fall,’ attributed to Croly (11 March 1824), Jaquez in the ‘Honeymoon,’ Sampson in ‘Isabella,’ Jeffrey in ‘Animal Magnetism,’ Launcelot Gobbo, Medium in ‘Inkle and Yarico,’ Stephen in ‘Every Man in his Humour,’ Baron Piffleberg in ‘Of Age Tomorrow,’ the original Robin in Poole's ‘Scapegoat’ (25 Nov. 1825), Simon Pure in ‘A Bold Stroke for a Wife,’ Shallow in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ Squire Richard in Cibber's ‘Provoked Husband,’ the original Raubvogel in Planché's ‘Returned Killed’ (31 Oct. 1826), Apothecary in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ the original Salewit, a poet, in Planché's ‘Merchant's Wedding’ (5 Feb. 1828), adapted from ‘A City Match’ by Jasper Mayne, the original Oliver in Moncrieff's ‘Somnambulist’ (19 Feb. 1828), Heeltap in the ‘Mayor of Garratt,’ Marrall in ‘A New Way to pay Old Debts,’ Thomas Appletree in the ‘Recruiting Officer,’ the original Bronze in Pocock's ‘Home, Sweet Home’ (19 March 1829), Tester in the ‘Suspicious Husband,’ the original Torpid in the ‘Night before the Wedding and the Wedding Night’ (17 Nov. 1829), and the original Jotham Riddel in ‘Wigwam, or the Men of the Wildernesss,’ founded on the ‘Pioneers’ of Cooper.

From the close of Genest's ‘History’ Meadows is not easily traced. At Covent Garden he remained until 1844, being the original Fathom in Sheridan Knowles's ‘Hunchback’