Francis Balfour (medical officer) facts for kids

Francis Balfour (born around 1744 – died May 7, 1818) was a Scottish doctor and writer. He spent most of his life working in British India, which was under British rule at the time.

Early Life and Career

Francis Balfour was born in Fife, Scotland. He was the third son of Arthur Balfour, an army officer. His family had a long history, and his great-great-grandfather was the 3rd Lord Balfour of Burleigh. The family's land, called the Fernie estate, had been taken away for a time but was given back to his father in 1739.

Balfour joined the East India Company in Bengal, India, on July 3, 1769. He started as an assistant-surgeon, helping doctors with their work. By August 10, 1777, he became a full surgeon. He worked for the company for many years, finally retiring on September 16, 1807. After his retirement, he returned to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Life in India and Studies

While in India, Balfour became good friends with Warren Hastings, who was a very important British official there. Balfour even dedicated one of his books, The Forms of Herkern, to Hastings in 1781. He also wrote to Hastings about how some other officials were not being polite to him in Lucknow.

In 1783, while in Benares, Balfour wrote to Hastings many times. He believed he had found out about a secret plan involving some local officials. He wanted to tell Hastings all about it.

Balfour was not only interested in politics and medicine; he also spent a lot of time studying Asian languages and cultures. This was called "Oriental studies" back then.

His book, The Forms of Herkern . . . translated into English, was first published in Calcutta in 1781. It was later published again in London in 1804. This book was a collection of formal letters written in Persian, and Balfour included a vocabulary list to help readers.

Balfour was one of the first members of the Bengal Asiatic Society. This important group was started in 1784 by Sir William Jones and supported by Warren Hastings. Balfour wrote articles for the society's journal, 'Asiatic Researches'. In 1790, he wrote about Arabic roots, showing how Arabic words had influenced Persian and the language of Hindostan (an old name for Hindi). In 1805, he wrote another paper called 'Extracts from Tehzeebul Mantik; or the Essence of Logic'. This paper aimed to help people understand Arabic and Persian grammar better.

Later Life and Death

In 1777, Balfour married his cousin, Emilia Balfour, in Madras, India. After his brother passed away, Francis Balfour inherited the family's Fernie estate in Scotland. He died there in 1818.

Written Works

Francis Balfour wrote several books and papers, mostly about medicine and his observations.

• A Treatise on Sol-Lunar Influence in Fevers (1784): In this book, Balfour shared his interesting idea that fevers were directly affected by the moon. He believed that fevers would get worse or reach their most serious point during the full moon. This book was very popular and was reprinted several times. It was even translated into German.
• Treatise on Putrid Intestinal Remitting Fevers (1790): This book was about a specific type of fever.
• A paper on the Barometer (1795): This article was published in the 'Asiatic Researches' journal and discussed the barometer, a tool used to measure air pressure.
• A paper on the Diurnal Variations of the Barometer (1798): This paper, published in the 'Edinburgh Phil. Trans.', looked at how the barometer readings changed throughout the day.
• A paper on the Effects of Sol-Lunar Influence on the Fevers of India (1805): Another paper for 'Asiatic Researches', where he continued to explore his theory about the moon's effect on fevers, specifically in India.