Edmond Barker facts for kids

Edmond Barker (born around 1721, died around 1780) was an English physician. He was a very smart person who knew many important figures of his time, including the famous writer Samuel Johnson.

Early Life and Education

We don't know much about where Edmond Barker was born or who his parents were.

He chose to study medicine at the University of Leyden in the Netherlands. University records show he joined in 1743 when he was about 22 years old. He worked hard and earned his doctor's degree in 1747. After finishing his studies, he moved to London to start his medical practice.

Joining the Ivy Lane Club

In 1749, a famous writer named Samuel Johnson started a special group called the Ivy Lane Club. This club met every week at a restaurant near St Paul's Cathedral in London. Edmond Barker was introduced to the club by his friend, Samuel Dyer, who was also a student.

Sir John Hawkins, another member of the club, wrote about the people in the group. He described Barker as a very intelligent person. Barker was good at discussing ethics, which are ideas about right and wrong. He also understood deep philosophical ideas and was excellent at classical languages like Latin and Greek. He even enjoyed reading Italian poetry.

However, Hawkins also mentioned that Barker was sometimes "thoughtless." He was known for being a bit messy in his habits and how he dressed. This made him a bit of a joke among his friends. Because of this, he didn't do very well in his medical career.

Later Career and Work

After some time, Edmond Barker left the Ivy Lane Club. He moved to Trowbridge, a town in Wiltshire, to practice medicine there. But after about two years, he returned to London.

Back in London, Barker became a librarian for the Royal College of Physicians. This was a job that didn't pay much, but it allowed him to continue his other interests. He held this position from 1760 to 1771.

One interesting project Barker worked on was translating a book. He translated the third part of George Edwards's 'Gleanings of Natural History' from English into French. This book was published in 1764 with both languages side-by-side.

Records from the Royal College of Physicians show that he was their "library-keeper" for many years. We don't know exactly why or when he stopped working there, but a new librarian was in place by 1781.