Jesse Foot facts for kids
Jesse Foot (born 1744 – died 1826) was an English surgeon and writer. He was known for his medical books and for writing biographies about famous people, including some of his own patients.
Life of Jesse Foot
Jesse Foot was born in 1744 in a place called Charlton, Wiltshire, England. He studied medicine in London and became a member of the Surgeons' Company, which was a group for surgeons.
Around 1766, when he was about 22, he traveled to the West Indies. He worked as a doctor for three years on the island of Nevis. After that, in 1769, he returned to England. Later, he went to St. Petersburg in Russia, where he also practiced medicine.
When he came back to England, Foot became a house-surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital in London. After finishing his time there, he started his own private medical practice. He first worked in Salisbury Street, Strand, and later moved his practice to Dean Street, Soho, in London. Jesse Foot passed away in Ilfracombe on October 27, 1826.
Jesse Foot's Writings
Jesse Foot was a busy writer in addition to being a surgeon. He wrote several books, often sharing his medical knowledge or telling the stories of people's lives.
He wrote a biography about a famous surgeon named John Hunter. However, some people thought his book about Hunter was a bit biased, meaning it showed a strong opinion.
Foot also wrote about some of his patients, including Andrew Robinson Stoney and his wife, Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore. He also wrote a biography about his friend, the writer Arthur Murphy.
During his time, there was a big debate about ending the slave trade. Jesse Foot supported the West Indian planters, who relied on enslaved people for their plantations. He wrote a book defending them and disagreed with people like William Wilberforce, who were working hard to abolish, or end, the slave trade.
Some of his other writings included:
- Books about treating certain medical conditions.
- An essay about what to do if someone was bitten by a mad dog.
- A plan to prevent the serious effects of a mad dog bite.
- Discussions about diseases and how to cure them.
Jesse Foot's Family
Jesse Foot had a nephew also named Jesse Foot (born 1780 – died 1850). This younger Jesse Foot also became a surgeon.
The nephew worked as a surgeon in Clarendon, Jamaica, for many years. Around 1819, he returned to England and lived with his uncle in Dean Street, Soho. On September 4, 1819, he married Miss Foot, who was likely his cousin.
After his uncle passed away, the younger Jesse Foot took over his medical practice. He also became a surgeon at the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, which specialized in eye care. He wrote some medical papers and books, including one called Ophthalmic Memoranda in 1838. The younger Jesse Foot died in Ilfracombe on January 5, 1850, when he was 70 years old.
