Andrew Cantwell facts for kids
Andrew Cantwell (died 1764) was an Irish doctor and writer who lived in France. He was known for being against a medical practice called inoculation, which was an early way to protect people from diseases like smallpox.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrew Cantwell was born in County Tipperary, Ireland. He moved to France to study medicine. He attended the University of Montpellier and became a doctor there in 1729.
Later, he moved to Paris in 1733 to continue his medical studies. He earned another medical degree (M.D.) from Paris in 1742.
Career and Achievements
In Paris, Cantwell became a respected professor. In 1750, he started teaching surgery in Latin. By 1760, he was teaching surgery in French. In 1762, he became a professor of pharmacy, which is the study of preparing and giving out medicines.
He was also chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1738. This is a very old and famous group for scientists. Andrew Cantwell died in Paris on July 11, 1764.
Medical Writings and Views
Cantwell wrote many medical papers. In 1742, he wrote about treating "the stone" (a medical condition, like kidney stones) using certain chemicals called alkalis. He also looked into treatments developed by Joanna Stephens.
He translated important medical papers from English scientists like Stephen Hales and Hans Sloane into French. Sloane's work was about eye health.
Against Inoculation
Andrew Cantwell became very well known for being against inoculation. This was an early method used to try and prevent smallpox. It involved giving someone a small amount of the disease to make them immune.
He spent time in England to study how inoculation worked and what its results were. He disagreed with doctors like James Jurin and Charles Marie de La Condamine, who thought inoculation was good.
Cantwell wrote several books and papers explaining his concerns:
- His book Dissertation on Inoculation was published in Paris in 1755.
- He also wrote an Account of Small-pox in 1758.
- His work Faits concluans contre l'inoculation (which means "Conclusive Facts Against Inoculation") pointed out that inoculation might spread other diseases. The College of Physicians of London even mentioned that Cantwell had lost his own daughter to smallpox.
Cantwell also wrote articles for the Philosophical Transactions, which is a scientific journal. These articles included topics on eye diseases (ophthalmology) and reports on the work of other doctors like Jacques Daviel.
Family
Andrew Cantwell had a son named Andrew Samuel Michael Cantwell (1744–1802). His son also became well-known in France as a librarian and translator. He translated many English books into French.
See Also
