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Almeida & Sons |
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Founded: |
1825 |
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Ceased: |
1865 |
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Updated: 6 July 2007
Notes:
The Doctor's first name is variously found spelt: Jozé, José or Jose.
He was born at St. Pedro Do Sul , Portugal on 27 November 1784, Jozé d'Almeida Carvalho E. Silva.
He had been a surgeon on board a Portuguese man-of-war when it passed through Singapore. He was struck by the advantages of it location and its potential.
In December 1825, he and his family arrived in Singapore from Malacca.
He had his dispensary was in the Square.
He and his son Joaquim started the firm of Jozé d'Almeida & Son in 1825. In 1837, some Jozé (same name as his father) joined the firm the name was changed to Jozé d'Almeida & Sons.
He and Doctor Montgomerie discovered gutta-percha. It was Dr. Montgomerie who first mentioned it. In 1843 he makes note of it in a letter to the Bengal Medical Board in which he recommends it as likely to prove useful for handles of surgical instruments. Dr. d'Almeida took some in 1843 to London and gave it to the Royal Society of Arts but no notice was taken of it save to acknowledge the receipt. In 1842 a Malay was making ridding-whips from gutta percha and some found their way to Europe after being bought by ships Captains. [B05p402] In 1851, Professor Wheatstone made the first telegraph cable with gutta percha. [B05p404]
He was an indefatigable agriculturalist, experimenting with introducing sugar, coffee, cocoanuts, cotton on his plantation.
While on a visit to Europe in 1842 he was made a Knight, Commander of the Portuguese Orders of Christ and Conception by the Queen of Portugal and was appointed Consul-General in the Straits Settlements. Spain made him a member of the Order of Knighthood of Charles III.
He died on 17 October 1850 at age 66 and is buried in Singapore. At the time of his passing, his firm was one of the largest and most important in Singapore.
The firm closed in 1865.
[B05p184-6]
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Was established in 1825 by Dr. José d'Almeida as Dr. José d'Almeida. [H06p395]
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Dr. Jose d'Almeida was born in Portugal in 1784 and died in Singapore in 1850
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The firm of J. d’Almeida & Sons is mentioned in the list of Members of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce in 1862.
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