Caleb Hillier Parry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caleb Hillier Parry
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| Born | October 21, 1755 |
| Died | March 9, 1822 (aged 66) |
Caleb Hillier Parry (born October 21, 1755 – died March 9, 1822) was an important Anglo-Welsh doctor. He is known for being one of the first to describe two medical conditions. In 1815, he wrote about what is now called Parry–Romberg syndrome. In 1825, his work included one of the earliest descriptions of Graves' disease, which affects the thyroid gland.
Contents
Life Story
Caleb Hillier Parry was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, on October 21, 1755. He was the oldest son of Joshua Parry, who was a minister, and Sarah Hillier.
He went to a private school in Cirencester. In 1770, when he was 15, he started studying at Warrington Academy for three years. In 1773, Parry began studying medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. He continued his medical studies for two more years in London.
In 1777, he returned to Edinburgh and earned his medical degree (M.D.) in June 1778.
Becoming a Doctor
In September 1778, Parry was allowed to practice medicine by the Royal College of Physicians of London. He became the President of the Edinburgh Medical Society. He also helped the society get its special Royal Charter.
In November 1779, Parry started working as a doctor at Bath General Hospital in Bath, Somerset. He stayed there for the rest of his life. In 1789, he asked an architect named John Eveleigh to build his house.
In 1800, Parry was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very important group for scientists.
Later Life and Death
In October 1816, Parry had a stroke. This made the right side of his body unable to move and made it hard for him to speak. Even after his stroke, he continued to read, tell stories about his life, and look after his farm and gardens.
Caleb Hillier Parry passed away in Bath on March 9, 1822. He was buried in Bath Abbey. The doctors in Bath had a special monument built in the Abbey to remember him.
His Medical Work
Parry's first important medical paper was for his doctoral degree. It was called De Rabie Contagiosa, which was about rabies.
Parry always wrote down notes about his patients' cases. He used these notes to write his book, Elements of Pathology, which was published in 1815. After he passed away, his son, Charles Henry Parry, published a new version of the book in 1825. It was called Elements of Pathology and Therapeutics.
Parry also wrote articles for important science magazines like the Philosophical Transactions.
Special Research Areas
Parry researched several specific health topics:
- He wrote about Angina Pectoris (chest pain) in 1799. This book included observations from another famous doctor, Edward Jenner, who developed the smallpox vaccine.
- He studied Tetanus and Rabies in 1814.
- He wrote about The Nature, Cause, and Varieties of the Arterial Pulse in 1816. This work was based on studying animals. His son, Charles Parry, later added more to this research.
After Parry's death, his son Charles also published two volumes of his father's unreleased writings in 1825.
Farming and Sheep
Caleb Parry was also very interested in improving farming. He studied agriculture on a farm he owned near Bath. He was especially keen on bringing the merino sheep breed to Great Britain. Merino sheep are known for their very fine wool.
- In 1800, he wrote about how it was possible to produce wool in Britain that was as good as Spanish wool.
- In 1807, he wrote an Essay on the Merino Breed of Sheep. This essay won a prize from the Board of Agriculture.
Parry's articles about farming also appeared in magazines like the Transactions of the Bath and West of England Society of Agriculture and the Farmers' Journal.
Family Life
In 1778, Caleb Parry married Sarah Rigby. They had nine children together.
Their oldest son, Charles Henry Parry, also became a doctor. Their youngest son, Admiral Sir William Edward Parry, became a famous Arctic explorer. Parry's daughter, Sarah Matilda Parry, was a talented artist who drew plants. Another daughter, Emma Parry, married Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, 1st Baronet. His daughter Mary Parry married Thomas Garnier.
Images for kids
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Caleb Hillier Parry's house, in the "Circus", Bath
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Sarah Rigby, Caleb Hillier Parry's wife
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