John Gregory (medic)

John Gregory

John Gregory , before about 1755 John Gregorie (born June 3, 1724 in Aberdeen , † February 9, 1773 in Edinburgh ), was a Scottish doctor and an influential pioneer of medical ethics in 18th century Europe.

Life

John Gregory was the grandson of mathematician James Gregory and was born the son of physician James Gregorie and his second wife Anna Chalmers. His father died when he was eight years old, from now on his grandfather Principal Chalmers and his half-brother James, professor of medicine, took care of his education. His cousin, the philosopher Thomas Reid , also influenced his upbringing. Gregory first attended the local elementary school and then went to King's College in Aberdeen. In 1742 he moved with his mother to Edinburgh , where he studied medicine with Alexander Monro , Andrew Sinclair (1726–1757), John Rutherford and Charles Alston . There he made friends with the doctor and poet Mark Akenside (1721-1770). In 1745 Gregory moved to Leiden to continue his studies with Bernhard Siegfried Albinus , Hieronymus David Gaub and Adriaan van Royen . Shortly after he received his academic degree ( Doctor of Medicine (MD) ) from the University of Aberdeen in absentia in 1746 , he was appointed professor of philosophy at King's College there, where he taught mathematics and moral and natural philosophy until 1749 . He also practiced as a doctor in Aberdeen and from 1754 in London, but preferred to give lectures to his patients.

On April 2, 1752, he married Elizabeth Forbes. Together they had three sons, including the doctor James Gregory, and three daughters Dorothea, Anna Margaretta and Elizabeth. In 1754 the family moved to London and joined the circle of John Wilkes , Charles Townshend (1725-1767), George Lyttelton and Elizabeth Montagu . During this time he began to write his name "Gregory" (actually "Gregorie"). In 1756 he was elected a member of the Royal Society . In 1763 his wife Elizabeth died. In Aberdeen , Gregory tried to establish a medical lecture series as a medical professor until 1764, but only a few medical students attended. He also became an active member of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society. The writings he submitted were later published anonymously as a collection in A Comparative View of the State and Faculties of Man, with those of the Animal World (1765).

In 1766 he succeeded John Rutherford as a medical professor and chair holder in Edinburgh instead of William Cullen , because Rutherford thought Cullen was a heretic. Cullen later succeeded Gregory and his successor in turn was a grandson of Gregory (John Gregory, son of Dorothea).

His best-known works include the collection Observations on the Duties and Offices of a Physician and on the Method of Prosecuting Inquiries in Philosophy , published in 1770 . John Gregory took a utilitarian view of the right or moral conduct of a doctor. According to this, a doctor acts morally when his personal interest is in improving the general good.

Fonts

A Comparative View of the State and Faculties of Man, with those of the Animal World. 1765 (Printed in: The works of the late John Gregory . Edinburgh 1788 (digitized) )
- German: Comparison of the condition and powers of man, with the condition and powers of animals: In exquisite comments on education, the gifts of nature, the arts and sciences, and religion. 1768. (digitized version)
- French: Parallèle De La Condition Et Des Facultés De L'Homme Avec La Condition Et Les Facultés Des Autres Animaux: Contenant des Observations critiques sur l'usage qu'il fait des facultés qui lui sont propres . Translated from the 4th edition by JB Robinet. Paris 1769 (digitized version) 2nd edition, Paris 1770 (digitized version)
Observations on the duties and offices of a physician and on the method of prosecuting inquiries of a physician. In: Philosophy and Medicine 57, 1770 (Printed in: The works of the late John Gregory . Edinburgh 1788 (digitized) )
- French: Observations sur les devoirs et les fonctions d'un médecin et sur la méthode de perfectionner l'histoire naturelle . Edinburgh and Paris 1774 (digitized)
Elements of the practice of physic . 1772 (Printed in: The works of the late John Gregory. Edinburgh 1788 (digitized) )
- German: Lectures on the duties and characteristics of a doctor. 1778. (digitized version)
- Italian: Lezioni sopra I doveri e le qualità di un medico . Pavia 1795 (digitized version)
Father's legacy to his daughters. 1775. (Printed in: The works of the late John Gregory . Edinburgh 1788 (digitized) )
Laurence B. MacCullough (Ed.): John Gregory's writings on medical ethics and philosophy of medicine. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht 1998.

literature

Agnes Grainger Stewart: The academic Gregories. Oliphany, Anderson & Ferrier, London and Edinburgh 1901. pp. 109ff.
Paul Lawrence: John Gregory. In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press 2004.
Ulrich Niewöhner-Desbordes: John Gregory. In: Werner E. Gerabek Bernhard Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-019703-7 . P. 510

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Ulrich Niewöhner-Desbordes: John Gregory. In: Werner E. Gerabek et al. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-019703-7 . P. 510
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Agnes Grainger Stewart: The academic Gregories. Oliphany, Anderson & Ferrier, London and Edinburgh 1901. pp. 109ff.

personal data
SURNAME	Gregory, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Scottish doctor and thought leader in medical ethics
DATE OF BIRTH	June 3, 1724
PLACE OF BIRTH	Aberdeen
DATE OF DEATH	February 9, 1773
Place of death	Edinburgh

[niewöhner-1] Ulrich Niewöhner-Desbordes: John Gregory. In: Werner E. Gerabek et al. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-019703-7 . P. 510

[stewart-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Agnes Grainger Stewart: The academic Gregories. Oliphany, Anderson & Ferrier, London and Edinburgh 1901. pp. 109ff.