Charles Combe facts for kids

Charles Combe (born 1743, died 1817) was a clever English doctor and a big fan of old coins. He was known for his medical work, especially helping mothers have babies, and for his amazing collection of ancient coins. He was also a respected member of important scientific groups like the Royal Society.

Charles Combe's Life

Early Years and School

Charles Combe was born on September 23, 1743, in London. His father, John Combe, was an apothecary, which was like a pharmacist or chemist who prepared and sold medicines. Charles went to Harrow School, a famous school, where he was classmates with important people like Sir William Jones. He did very well in school but didn't go to university.

Becoming a Doctor

After school, Charles moved to London to study medicine. When his father passed away in 1768, Charles took over his father's apothecary business. In 1783, he earned his degree as a doctor of medicine from the University of Glasgow. He then started working as an obstetric physician, which means he specialized in helping women during pregnancy and childbirth.

In 1784, he became a licensed doctor in midwifery (childbirth) and was made a governor of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Later, in 1789, he became a physician at the British Lying-In Hospital. He worked there until 1810, when he became a consulting physician. Charles also had a very busy private practice, helping many patients. He collected many medical samples, which were bought by the College of Physicians after he died.

Important Societies

Charles Combe was elected a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1771. This society is for people who study old things like history and archaeology. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1776, which is a very important group for scientists.

Charles Combe passed away on March 18, 1817, at his home in London, when he was 73 years old. He was buried in Bloomsbury cemetery. A painting of him was made by an artist named Medley.

Charles Combe's Works

His Love for Coins

By 1773, Charles Combe became friends with William Hunter, a famous anatomist (someone who studies the body's structure). Combe helped Hunter build his huge collection of coins. Charles Combe wanted to create a full list of all the coins in Hunter's collection. He only published one part of it, called Nummorum veterum Populorum et Urbium qui in Museo Gulielmi Hunter asservantur Descriptio, figuris illustrata, in London in 1782. This book described ancient coins from different peoples and cities that were in William Hunter's museum.

When William Hunter died in 1783, he left his museum to three trustees, including Charles Combe, for thirty years. After that, the collection went to University of Glasgow. Combe also wrote another book about "large brass" coins, titled Index nummorum omnium imperatorum, Augustorum et Cæsarum..., in London in 1773. This book covered coins up to the time of Emperor Domitian.

Other Works

In 1788, Combe started working with Henry Homer on a special edition of the works of Horace, a famous Roman poet. This edition included notes from different scholars. Henry Homer passed away before the first volume was finished, so Combe completed the work by himself. It was published as ‘Q. Horatii Flacci Opera cum variis lectionibus, notis variorum et indice completissimo,’ in two volumes in 1792–93.

Charles Combe also wrote the introductions for the sale catalog of Richard Southgate's library. He also helped with the second edition of George Vertue's book, Medals of Thomas Simon, which came out in 1780. Besides coins, he collected rare books, especially different editions of the Bible. Some of these rare books were bought by the British Museum.

Family

In 1769, Charles Combe married Arthey, who was the only daughter of Henry Taylor. They had four children together. Their oldest son was Taylor Combe, who also became a famous numismatist.