Sir William Brooke O'Shaughnessy

Sir William Brooke O'Shaughnessy, MD was born in Limerick,
UK in October 1808. He was appointed Superintendent of Telegraphs in 1853.
During the years 1853-55 he installed 3,500 miles of telegraph across India and
wrote numerous manuals and reports on his telegraph inventions.

In 1856, O'Shaughnessy returned to England where he was knighted by Queen
Victoria for his work on the telegraph in India. He was also appointed DG of
Telegraphs at this time. During the following years he wrote on subjects
relating to telegraphy, including a book of Private Codes for encrypted
telegraphy. In 1841, during his stint in England, he introduced cannabis sativa
to Western medicine and continued his scientific writings. In 1844, he returned
to India where he worked in various government positions in the fields of
pharmacology and assay. In 1860, he returned to Europe for sick leave where he
remained in obscurity until his death in January 1889.