John Heysham facts for kids
John Heysham (born 1753, died 1834) was an English doctor. He is mostly remembered today for his important work with statistics, which are numbers and facts used to understand things. He helped create a special table that was used for life insurance.
His Early Life and Career
John Heysham was born in Lancaster, England, on November 22, 1753. His father, also named John Heysham, owned ships. John went to a school run by Quakers near Burton, Westmorland. After school, he trained for five years to become a surgeon.
In 1774, he started studying medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. He earned his medical degree in 1777.
In 1778, Dr. Heysham moved to Carlisle, Cumberland, to start his medical practice. He lived there until he passed away on March 23, 1834. He was buried in St. Mary's Church, and a special window was placed in the cathedral to remember him.
Dr. Heysham's medical practice was quite successful. He also helped set up the first free clinic for poor people in Carlisle. This clinic was supported by local church leaders. He was interested in local politics and supported changes that helped people.
His Important Work
Dr. Heysham wrote about medical topics, including a paper about a fever that affected people in Carlisle in 1781.
His most famous work began in 1779. He started collecting facts and figures about Carlisle. For ten years, he recorded how many people were born, married, got sick, and died each year. He also counted everyone living in Carlisle in 1780 and again in 1788.
The Carlisle Table
These statistics were published in 1797. Later, in 1815, a man named Joshua Milne used Dr. Heysham's numbers to create something very important. It was called the "Carlisle Table". This table helped insurance companies figure out how long people were likely to live. This was very useful for setting up life insurance plans.
The Carlisle Table was used for many years. It was still important in 1851. However, by 1870, newer tables were created, and the Carlisle Table was no longer needed.
Nature and Science
Dr. Heysham was also interested in nature. He observed and recorded information about the plants and animals in his area. These observations were included in a book called History of the County of Cumberland. He also worked closely with church leaders in Carlisle and may have helped a famous thinker named William Paley with ideas about how nature shows careful design.
