Thomas Charters White, 1828 - 1916

by Brian Stevenson
last updated February, 2021

T. Charters White was, and is, well-known for the authoritative books on microscopical techniques that he wrote during the late 1800s. Several of his popular books were written under the pseudonym of "A Quekett Club-Man". White was a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society and a member of the Quekett Microscopical Club from the mid-1860s onward, and served as President of the QMC from 1880-1882.

White regularly presented to the RMS and QMC on microscopical techniques, and displayed numerous preparations. He was also a surgeon, with a specialty in dentistry, and frequently presented to medical and dental colleagues. Although he undoubtedly prepared a multitude of slides, the signed example in Figure 1 appears to be a rarity. The handwriting on its labels may help identify additional slide by T. Charters White that have lost, or never had, a signed label.

Figure 1. Circa 1880 microscope slide by T. Charters White, "fibroma from hard palate, stained with logwood and carmine". White is not known to have actively traded slides, so this signed preparation was probably produced for a presentation to his scientific or medical colleagues. He was a dental surgeon who often presented on topics related to that field.

Figure 2. Title page of "The Microscope and How to Use It", and three tipped-in photomicrographs by T. Charters White. This 1893 book is especially fascinating in having numerous actual photographs that were taken by White, "printed on Eastman's papers", glued inside.

Thomas Charters White was born on November 11, 1828, in Chichester, Sussex, to James and Frances Ann Olive White. His father worked as a solicitor.

Records of his early life have yet to be located, but the parish record of White's 1851 marriage to Louisa Hetty Jones stated White's profession to be "dentist". He evidently aspired to do more than dental extractions. White trained in surgery at King's College, and, in 1863, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (M.R.C.S.) and Licentiate of Dental Surgery (L.D.S.).

White was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society in 1867, indicating that he already had substantial experience with microscopes and specimen preparation. In 1868, he joined the Quekett Microscopical Society. He made numerous presentations to both groups over the next several decades (e.g. Figure 3). In 1870, he presented to the QMC on how to prepare "sections of hard tissues", which was particularly relevant to his work as a dental surgeon.

In the summer of 1872, White was elected Honorable Secretary of the Quekett Microscopical Club. The next year, he was elected to the QMC Council. He served as a Vice President from 1874 until 1879, Council Member for the next year, then President from 1880 until 1882. Afterward, he served on the Council until 1891, then stepped back from QMC administration.

Upon White's election to the presidency of the QMC in 1880, The British Journal of Dental Science wrote, "We are much pleased to have to be able to state that a well-known member of our specialty, Mr. Thomas Charters White, of 32, Belgrave Road, S.W., was elected President of the Quekett Microscopical Club at the fifteenth Annual Meeting held at University College on July 23rd in succession to Dr. T. Spencer Cobbold, F.R.S. This is the first occasion on which a Dentist has received this honour, and as the use of the microscope is becoming more and more essential to the accomplished Dentist, we trust Mr. White's year of office will be signalised by a large accession of Dental members. We may add that Mr. White has devoted himself for many years to the study of the microscope, especially in reference to Dentistry, and we feel sure that any student who refers to him will find in him a most skillful and amiable guide".

White presented a "President's Address" at the end of each of his two terms. The 1881 Address dealt with general interests in microscopy, such as excursions into the field with examinations of items in ponds, etc., and the 1882 Address was a history of microscope development.

T. Charters White published three books in 1887. A Manual of Elementary Microscopical Manipulation for the Use of Amateurs provides detailed instructions on specimen preparation and other useful techniques for the serious amateur microscopist (Figure 4). His other two books were published under the nom de plume of "A Quekett Club-Man", and are substantially more simple. My Microscope and Some Objects From My Cabinet contains general information on how to use a microscope, and descriptions of some objects for viewing (Figure 5), while The Student's Hand-Book to the Microscope is primarily an illustrated description of a dozen or so recommended microscope models (Figure 6). The relative simplicity of the latter two books may be the reason why White, as a serious microscopist, hid his authorship. Nonetheless, My Microscope proved to be very popular, and a second edition was published one year later, in 1888. Moreover, "A Quekett Club-Man" also published My Telescope, and Some Objects Which It Shows Me in 1888.

During 1890 and 1891, The American Monthly Microscopical Journal published a series of works by T. Charters White as "Microscopy for amateurs". The journal's publisher compiled them into a book of the same name, published in 1891. Frederick William Mills and Julien Deby, writing in their An Introduction to the Study of the Diatomaceae, described Microscopy for Amateurs as "a pirated edition of" White's 1887 A Manual of Elementary Microscopical Manipulation. It is not clear whether White was party to the repackaging of his earlier work for the American audience, or if the 1891 American book was true piracy.

Also in 1891, White co-authored a book with Frederick W. Mills, Photography Applied to the Microscope (Figure 7). White's main contribution was a chapter on specimen preparation.

The Microscope and How To Use It was published in 1893, a "new and revised edition" of White's 1887 A Manual of Elementary Microscopical Manipulation for the Use of Amateurs (Figure 2).

Getting on in his years, White ceased his membership in the QMC by 1894. He continued his membership in the RMS, and continued with presentations such as his 1898 "A few notes on micro-crystallography".

Thomas' wife, Louisa, died on September 11, 1905. White remarried soon afterward, then retired to Southsea, Hampshire. The 1911 census states that "Thomas Charters White, retired surgeon dentist M.R.C.S.", aged 82, had been married for 6 years to 46 year-old Helena Maud White.

Thomas Charters White died on March 5, 1916, in Southsea. His obituary from The Dental Record:

"A once-familiar figure in dental and microscopical circles has passed away in the person of Thomas Charters White , M.R.C.S., L.D.S., who died at Southsea recently in his 89th year. Mr. Charters White was educated at King's College and took the M.R.C.S. in 1863. In the same year he presented himself as one of the first candidates for the L.D.S. diploma, newly instituted on a voluntary basis by the Royal College of Surgeons. He then entered into practice, and for many years practiced with success in Belgravia, though, with declining years, the practice naturally diminished and he subsequently retired to Southsea , where he peacefully ended his days at a ripe old age.

His old friends will bear a kindly memory of his bright, humorous eye, cheery smile and inexhaustible fund of anecdote".

Figure 3. Illustrations by T. Charters White that accompanied his 1882 JQMC paper, "On the histological development of the larva of Corethra plumicornis".

Figure 4. Title page from White's 1887 "A Manual on Elementary Microscopical Manipulations for the Use of Amateurs".

Figure 5. Title page and frontispiece of "My Microscope and Some Objects From My Cabinet", 1887, written under the nom de plume "A Quekett Club-Man".

Figure 6. Title page and illustrations of recommended microscope models from White's 1887 "The Student's Hand-Book to the Microscope". He also published this simple book under the pseudonym "A Quekett Club-Man".

Figure 7. Title page of F.W. Mills' "Photography Applied to the Microscope", which includes a chapter on mounting objects by T. Charters White, alongside an engraving of a photomicroscopy apparatus that was used by Mills.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to Jeff Silverman for valuable histology insights.

Resources

British Dental Journal (1916) Deaths: White, Vol. 37, page 272

British Journal of Dental Science (1880) The Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 23, page 817

Dental Record (1916) Thomas Charters White, page 264

England census and other records, accessed through ancestry.com

Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club (1872-1891) Officers and Committee Members

Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1892) Fellows

The Medical Times and Gazette (1863) Royal College of Surgeons of England, Vol. 1, page 549

Mills, Frederick W., and Julien Deby (1890) An Introduction to the Study of the Diatomaceae, Iliffe and Son, London, page 235

Mills, Frederick W., and T. Charters White (1891) Photography Applied to the Microscope, Iliffe and Son, London

Probate of the Will of Louisa Hetty White (1905) "White Louisa Hetty of 26 Belgrave-road Pimlico Middlesex (wife of Thomas Charters White) died 11 September 1905 Administration London 11 October to the said Thomas Charters White surgeon-dentist Effects £112 15s 2d", accessed through ancestry.com

Probate of the Will of Thomas Charters White (1918) "White Thomas Charters of 49 Victoria-road South Southsea Hampshire died 5 March 1916 Probate London 26 January to Helena Maud White widow. Effects £105 10s", accessed through ancestry.com

"A Quekett Club-Man" (1887) The Student's Hand-Book to the Microscope, Roper and Drowley, London

"A Quekett Club-Man" (1887) My Microscope and Some Objects From My Cabinet, Roper and Drowley, London

"A Quekett Club-Man" (1888) My Microscope and Some Objects From My Cabinet, Second edition, Roper and Drowley, London

"A Quekett Club-Man" (1888) My Telescope, and Some Objects Which It Shows Me, Roper and Drowley, London

Quekett Journal of Microscopy 1868–2012 on USB drive, https://www.quekett.org/members/shop-members

White, T. Charters (1868) Gum dammar in benzole, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 1, pages 147-148

White, T. Charters (1869) The crystallization of hippuric acid, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 2, pages 44-45

White, T. Charters (1869) Sections of hard tissues, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 2, pages 172-174

White, T. Charters (1874) On an improved method of mounting opaque objects, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 3, pages 232-233

White, T. Charters (1878) A few remarks on insect dissection, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 5, pages 33-37

White, T. Charters (1881) President's Address, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Vol. 6, pages 305-311

White, T. Charters (1882) President's Address, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Series 2, Vol. 1, pages 112-124

White, T. Charters (1882) On the injection of specimens for microscopical examination, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Series 2, Vol. 1, pages 15-19

White, T. Charters (1882) On the histological development of the larva of Corethra plumicornis, Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, Series 2, Vol. 1, pages 66-76

White, T. Charters (1883) On the conservative treatment of the dental pulp, American Journal of Dental Science, Vol. 17, pages 230-233

White, T. Charters (1887) A Manual of Elementary Microscopical Manipulation for the Use of Amateurs, Roper and Drowley, London

White, T. Charters (1890-1891) Microscopy for amateurs, American Monthly Microscopical Journal, Vol. 11, pages 221-223, 245-254, 269-275, and Vol. 12, pages 8-13, 39-42, 61-65, 85-91, 101-108

White, T. Charters (1893) The Microscope and How To Use It, New and revised edition, R. Sutton & Co, London

White, T. Charters (1894) A few notes on micro-crystallography, Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, Vol. 18, pages 270-272

White, T. Charters (1901) Food of prehistoric man, Science-Gossip, New series, Vol. 8, page 36