John Fletcher Little
Born	1843 County Tipperary
Died	9 August 1914(1914-08-09) (aged 70–71)
Occupation	Physician

John Fletcher Little (1843 – 9 August 1914) was an Irish physician and Liberal Party politician.

Career

Little was born in County Tipperary.^[1] He studied in Dublin and took the L.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. in 1866. He practiced medicine at Woolton.^[1] Fletcher was influenced by Silas Weir Mitchell's physical methods of treatment such as massage and visited the United States.^[1]

Little studied at Cambridge and Charing Cross Hospital.^[1] He took the M.B. in 1888 and M.R.C.P. in 1899.^[2] He worked as a physician at the London Temperance Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital. He was medical officer for Harrow.^[1] With Sir Jonathan Hutchinson he started the London post-graduate scheme which developed into the Medical Graduates' College and Polyclinic.^[2]

He was a liberal and contested Oxford in 1895.^[1] Little was inspired by James Salisbury's diet treatment and reported in 1886 that he had spent six weeks living on a diet of lean meat and hot water which made him lose a stone in weight.^[3]

Personal life

Little had three sisters and five brothers. He was the brother of Reverend Robert Wentworth Little.^[1] Little was a former member of the London County Council. It was estimated that his estate was worth £19,904 in 1914.^[4]

Selected publications

• Medical Rubbing (British Medical Journal, 1882)
• The Carnivorous Diet (British Medical Journal, 1886)
• Prevention Of Cancer (British Medical Journal, 1912)
• The Value of Open Spaces in Great Cities (The Hospital, 1913)

References