Background
He was the son of William Drysdale (1781-1847) and Lady Elizabeth Drysdale.
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Charles Drysdale
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He wrote The and Writings of Thomas R. Malthus. He also published books on the topics of syphilis, the evils of prostitution and the dangers of tobacco smoking. Although later remembered only as a doctor he was initially a trained and skilled engineer, working on the Steamship Great Eastern for Brunel in 1847 and conducting surveys for new railways in both Switzerland and Spain.
Drysdale was one of the earliest campaigners against tobacco smoking.
In a letter to The Times newspaper in 1878 to say "I think that the use of tobacco is one of the most evident of all the retrograde influences of our time." and "The use of tobacco is one of the most evident of all the retrograde influences of our time. lieutenant invades all classes, destroys social life, and is turning, in the words of Mantegazza, the whole of Europe into a cigar divan."
From 1869 he began a life-long relationship with fellow doctor Alice Vickery.
Neither believed in marriage. Their son, Charles Vickery Drysdale (1874-1961) opened one of the first family planning clinics at East Street, Walworth, London SE17 in 1921.
A Blue plaque marks the site.
