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In the early part of the 19th century, Doctor John Butter conceived the idea of a hospital to treat eye diseases. In 1821 the Plymouth Eye Dispensary was opened, becoming in 1823 the Plymouth Eye Infirmary; then in 1828, HRH the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, became the Patron and the building became the Plymouth Royal Eye Infirmary.
Early in the 1850s, a painting of John Butter was commissioned as 'a tribute of respect for his untiring zeal and valuable services in the foundation and maintenance of the Plymouth Royal Eye Infirmary'.