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Dr Samuel Benjamin Jones was a medical doctor and magistrate who eradicated smallpox from Anguilla and improved the island’s health care in the early 1920s. He also performed extensive research on the cause and treatment of syphilis and Bilharziasis in St. Kitts.

Samuel Benjamin Jones was born in Antigua in 1874. His father died when he was very young and he was raised by his mother and grandfather, who had been a slave. His grandfather made sure that his grandson obtained a primary and secondary education. When the boy was nine years old, he was awarded a scholarship to the Antigua Grammar School and became one of the Antigua Diocesan students at the illustrious Codrington College in Barbados. He later emigrated to the United States of America where he settled in North Carolina and taught at St. Ambrose Parish School and the Negro Agricultural and Technical College.

While in the United States, Jones entered the medical profession. He furthered his studies in Scotland and obtained a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRFP) from the University of Glasgow and a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons (LRCS) from the University of Edinburgh. He eventually migrated to St. Kitts where he was appointed Acting Medical Officer for District No 2 from April to August 1918. This brief assignment marked the beginning of his interest in intestinal worm infections, particularly Bilharziasis

Dr Jones was transferred to Anguilla where he served as both doctor and magistrate from August 1918 to May 1923. During that five year period, Anguilla experienced four consecutive years of drought, food shortages, a hurricane and a quarantine period of several months due to the presence of four hundred contacts and nineteen cases of mild smallpox imported from the Dominican Republic. Among other things, he publicised the immediate need for small hospitals and a district nurse to teach basic sanitation, knowing that both of these would allow physicians to provide optimal health care.

In 1924, Jones returned to District 2 in St. Kitts, where his main concern was the prevalence of syphilis and intestinal worms, particularly Bilharzia. He made extensive use of the laboratory to keep track of the disease and ensured that patients received the necessary medications. For his efforts in curbing outbreaks, especially an epidemic of smallpox, he was inducted into the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1933.

Dr Jones retired from active Government service in 1939 and was given a gift of £100 by the people of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. During the Second World War, he was appointed as an Information Officer. He also served as a member of the Board of Education and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee.

A well-read and highly informed individual, Jones was willing to share his knowledge with others and was often called upon to give public lectures. Although they had no children of their own, Dr Jones and his wife raised and educated several. In this way, and also through his reports, Dr Jones showed great concern for the plight of the populations he served, which were sometimes on the brink of starvation. He willingly gave medical treatment free of charge to a large number of persons and many patients, medical professionals and medical researchers sought his advice on a wide range of matters.

Dr Jones was a strong believer in the principle of personal independence. He promoted education and encouraged both his patients and his guests to keep up with current affairs. He was also a patron of local music and artwork and at his home, the famous Koromantyn Lodge, a wide variety of tropical fruits and vegetables were grown and choice goats, fowls and turkeys were reared. He disapproved of the government policy of importing foodstuffs and used his medical expertise to show others the high nutritional value of various kinds of locally grown food.

In 1936, Dr Samuel Jones published Annals of Anguilla, his tribute to the courage of Anguilla’s people and his way of demonstrating that Anguillans could be proud of their past.

Dr Samuel Benjamin Jones died at his home on Friday 11th November, 1949 at the age of 75.

Samuel Benjamin Jones
- Medical Doctor (General Practitioner)

Source:

Samuel Benjamin Jones - Medical Doctor (General Practitioner)

Source:

Samuel Benjamin Jones
- Medical Doctor (General Practitioner)