Francis Clifton facts for kids

Francis Clifton (who died in 1736) was an English doctor. He was known for his ideas about how doctors should study diseases and treatments.

Early Life and Education

Francis Clifton was born in Great Yarmouth, England. He was the youngest of four sons. He decided to become a doctor and went to Leyden University in the Netherlands in 1724. By the end of that year, he had earned his medical degree. For his graduation, he wrote a special research paper called an inaugural dissertation. It was about different types of smallpox. This paper was later included in a famous collection of medical writings by Albrecht von Haller.

Medical Career in London

After finishing his studies, Clifton moved to London. He was very smart and knew a lot about science and ancient languages. This helped him become friends with many important people, including Sir Hans Sloane. Sir Hans Sloane was a famous doctor and collector. Because of Sloane's recommendation, Clifton became a member of the Royal Society in 1727. The Royal Society is a very old and respected group for scientists.

Clifton also received an honorary medical degree from Cambridge University in 1728. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in London, which is a professional body for doctors. In 1732, he gave special lectures there called the Gulstonian lectures.

Ideas for Improving Medicine

Francis Clifton believed that doctors should use a more scientific approach. In 1731, he wrote a book called Tabular observations. In this book, he suggested that doctors should carefully record how their treatments affected patients. He thought that by looking at these records, doctors could see what really worked, instead of just relying on old theories. He wanted doctors to use facts and numbers to understand diseases better.

Clifton was also interested in the writings of Hippocrates, an ancient Greek doctor often called the "Father of Medicine." Clifton planned to publish all of Hippocrates' works in Greek and Latin, but he didn't get enough support for the project.

Later Life and Death

Clifton also worked as a doctor for Frederick, Prince of Wales, who was the son of King George II. However, in 1734, Clifton suddenly left London and moved to Jamaica.

He wrote a letter from Kingston in June 1736, saying that he had faced many problems. He died in Jamaica a few weeks later. He was working on a book about the diseases found in Jamaica, but he didn't get to finish it.

Before he left for Jamaica, Clifton published a translation of an important ancient text. It was Hippocrates' work Upon Air, Water, and Situation, which talks about how environment affects health. He also added Thucydides' famous description of the Plague of Athens.