Name: Basil Sterling
Nickname/Title: Dr. Basil Sterling
Age: 37
Birthplace: Hastings, England
Sexuality: Private!
Play-By: Bill Evans

Occupation: Doctor (MRCS, LMSSA, LSA)

Physical Description: The doctor wears glasses most of the time and keeps them on a chain around his neck. He has a tidy mustache but his hair needs a trim. It's dark, curly, and has grown past his ears and down the nape of his neck. His eyes are a pale, gray hazel. Like many Englanders, he is quite pale. He has permanently dark circles around the eyes, despite how well-rested he is (they run in the family) and a handsome Roman nose (also runs in the family.) He's been described as cute... but in the same way, you would describe a small, skittish dog as "cute." He stands at about 5"4', with an average build, and thick glasses that tend to slip down his nose. His wardrobe could be described as "disgraced academic chic."

Before he left the city, he was the picture of a well-to-do gentleman with his waistcoats and expensive jewelry. The prodigal return has left him lacking. While he's not outright bedraggled, new and tailored clothes just don't seem to catch his interest anymore. He wears a long, raggedy coat with patches on the elbows when he's out and about, and his shoes are often muddy.

Distinguishing Features: Basil is usually carrying a large doctor's bag. He wears thick glasses.

Personality Description: Local gossip says poor Basil has a few screws loose since coming home from Crimea. He spent a few years recovering at home, in Hastings, and has recently come to London to reopen his practice. He frights easily now.

Even so, he remains a good doctor, even if he is somewhat odd. While he has a constant jitteriness about him, he seems oblivious to real, physical dangers (like muggings.) Or more accurately, he hasn't learned his lesson from them. He's somewhat scatterbrained now. He is empathetic, caring, and wants to help everyone - at a great cost to his wallet and reputation. His willingness to trudge around poor boroughs for house calls and tend to brothel workers, all at cost, has made him a favourite among "low-lives." Polite society has been turning its nose up at him and how he has been burning through his savings. They would have scorned him completely by now if not for his surgical research. Even then, he's on thin ice.

History: Basil grew up in Hastings and was the eldest of the family, with two younger sisters. When he was a boy, his youngest sister died of scarlet fever. Ironically, this gave him a terrible fear of doctors until he was a teenager. Their family toiled away, his father a sailor, and his mother a school teacher, until a wealthy uncle passed away and left the family a sizeable inheritance. This inheritance paid for Basil's way through medical school in Cambridge (where he also worked as an apprentice.) He showed a particular talent for family medicine and surgery. The salary allows him to take care of his remaining family members.

In 1853, he and his partner/mentor, Dr. Clifford Davies, (a doctor who furthered research into germ theory, outside of miasmata) went to the Crimean Peninsula with the British fleet. There they practiced wartime medicine, surgery, and developed lifesaving research in the newly emerging field of surgical anesthetics. Disease ran rampant during this time, and they did what they could to research its pathology and preventative measures (citing dirty living conditions and contaminated water, which went against prevailing knowledge at the time.) In Üsküdar, they worked alongside the likes of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale.

In 1855, 4 months before they were due to return home, Basil's partner died of typhoid. Once back in England, Basil returned to their old practice for a month until he suffered a nervous breakdown and returned to his family in Hastings. He spent several years there writing for medical journals about their efforts in Crimea - the development of surgical anesthetics garnered the most interest.

Now, in 1860, Basil has returned to London to open his practice again. His methods have changed a lot. Some of his colleagues who are fond of him call him quirky - the ones who don't like him much think he's gone mad (and is pissing away all his money and reputation.) He doesn't charge much, if at all. He makes house calls to the poor boroughs. He all but gives away medication. His non-judgmental attitude has made him a favourite among the brothels and working girls. Some nights he's out wandering around, checking on bums.

Goals: Help people.

Likes: Writing. Reading, smoking (usually at the same time.) Piano. Has a pet cat. Enjoys live performances, especially stageplays.

Dislikes: He's developed a dislike for dinner parties. Most of his old colleagues tend to annoy him lately, too. Too much posturing. Afraid of horses.