The illness of William Soutar (1898-1943).

Abstract

William Soutar (1898-1943) was a Scottish poet, but many are unaware of his scholarly work which includes his famous "brain-rhymes". He was born in Perth Scotland in 1898. He was educated at Perth Primary School and Perth Academy and proved to be adept at sport and academics. In 1916, he joined the Royal Navy. In 1918, he had "food poisoning" after which he was hospitalized and developed severe joint pain which became a chronic illness. He had a brief attempt at medical studies at Edinburgh University, but soon switched to the Arts Faculty to study English. Despite various treatments, the joint pain was chronic and disabling. He developed tuberculous lung disease in 1929, and again despite treatments, the problem persisted, and he died in 1943.