John Balmanno facts for kids

John Balmanno was an important Scottish surgeon who lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s. He was a respected doctor in Glasgow and even served twice as the President of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in the city.

Life of John Balmanno

John Balmanno was born in Glasgow. His father passed away when John was young. His mother, who was an apothecary (a type of pharmacist who also prepared medicines) on Trongate street, supported him. This was quite unusual for a woman at that time!

John studied medicine at Edinburgh University. He might have been helped by John Anderson, who later started Anderson's College in Glasgow. Anderson was very interested in Balmanno's education. Around 1790, Balmanno took over his mother's apothecary shop in Glasgow. When John Anderson died in 1796, he wanted Balmanno to become a professor at his new college, but this never happened.

In 1798, Edinburgh University gave John Balmanno his medical degree (MD). Just three years later, in 1801, he became a member of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow. He quickly rose to become its president in the same year!

From 1801, he also worked as a doctor at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He did amazing work during a serious typhus outbreak in Glasgow in 1818 and 1819. Because of his efforts, he was given three silver trays as a special thank you.

In 1818, he became the doctor for the Royal Asylum for Lunatics at Gartnavel. Here, he invented something called Balmanno's Syringe. This device was used to help feed patients who were refusing to eat. He also used a "whirling chair," which was a device that spun patients around.

John Balmanno spent his last years living at 37 St Vincent Place in central Glasgow. He passed away in Glasgow in 1840.

Artistic Recognition

John Balmanno's portrait was painted by an artist named Thomas Lewis. This painting can be found at Gartnavel Hospital.