Messenger Monsey facts for kids
Messenger Monsey was an interesting English doctor and humorist who lived from 1694 to 1788. He became the main doctor at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a special home for soldiers who were injured or elderly. Monsey was known for being quite unusual and sometimes a bit rude. A famous writer named Fanny Burney even described him as "Dr. Monso, a strange gross man" in her diaries.
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Monsey's Early Life and Education
Messenger Monsey was born in a place called Hackford with Whitwell in Norfolk, England. His father, Robert Monsey, was a cleric who belonged to a group called Non-jurors. This meant they didn't swear loyalty to the new king and queen after the Glorious Revolution.
Monsey was taught at home first. Later, he went to Woodbridge School and then to Pembroke College, Cambridge to study. After college, he learned medicine from a doctor named Sir Benjamin Wrench in Norwich. In 1723, he was accepted into the Royal College of Physicians, which is a very important group for doctors. He then started his own medical practice in Bury St Edmunds, where he also got married.
Moving to London and New Friends
Monsey's life changed when he was called to treat a very important person, Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin. Lord Godolphin became sick on his way to Newmarket. He was very impressed by Monsey's skills as a doctor and also by his funny, sometimes cheeky, personality.
Lord Godolphin convinced Monsey to move to London. There, he introduced Monsey to many important patients. These included the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and Lord Chesterfield. These men were part of the Whig party, a major political group at the time.
Monsey also made friends with many writers and thinkers. For a long time, he was close to Elizabeth Montagu, a famous member of the Bluestockings. This was a group of educated women who met to discuss literature and ideas. Monsey even wrote rhyming letters to her. He was also friends with the famous actor David Garrick, though their friendship later ended after an argument. However, not everyone liked his humor; Dr Johnson, another famous writer, didn't approve of his jokes.
Monsey's Unique Personality
People often described Monsey as someone who kept his simple manners even when he became famous. He was very honest and would often say what he thought, even if it might upset people. As he got older, he became even more direct and didn't care much for polite behavior.
As a doctor, Monsey followed the ideas of the "Boerhaavian school." This was a way of thinking about medicine from a famous Dutch doctor named Herman Boerhaave. Monsey didn't like new medical ideas that came out later. He also had his own strong beliefs about religion. He was a "free-thinker," which meant he questioned traditional religious ideas. He admired another doctor and writer named Bernard Mandeville. Monsey's own copy of Mandeville's book, The Fable of the Bees, is now kept in a museum in London.
Monsey's Legacy
After Messenger Monsey passed away, many funny stories and anecdotes about his unusual behavior and language were collected. He kept his job at Chelsea Hospital until he died there on December 26, 1788, at the age of 94.
Monsey had asked that his body be studied by students at Guy's Hospital after his death. This was a common practice for medical learning at the time. He left a large sum of money, £16,000, to his only daughter, Charlotte. She had married William Alexander, whose brother later became the first Earl of Caledon.
