Richard Fowler (physician) facts for kids
Richard Fowler (born November 28, 1765 – died April 13, 1863) was an English doctor. He lived to be very old, reaching almost 98 years!
Early Life and Education
Richard Fowler was born in London. Even though he lived a very long life, he was quite weak and often sick as a child. He went to school and studied medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. He also traveled to Paris, France, to learn more as a student.
In 1790, he returned to Edinburgh to continue his medical studies. He earned his medical degree (M.D.) on September 12, 1793. His final paper was about "inflammation," which is how the body reacts to injury or infection.
Career and Long Life
After finishing his studies, Richard Fowler became a member of a famous group called the 'Speculative Society.' He wrote essays for them. On March 21, 1796, he was allowed to practice medicine in London. However, he decided to move to Salisbury, a city in England, where he lived for the rest of his life.
He quickly became a doctor at the Salisbury Infirmary, a hospital, and worked there until 1847. In 1802, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very important group for scientists. Even when he was nearly 94 years old in 1859, he traveled from Salisbury all the way to Aberdeen to attend a meeting and share his ideas. He was a very successful doctor and a respected person in Salisbury for many years. He passed away at Milford, near Salisbury, when he was almost 98 years old. Not many doctors in history have lived that long!
Scientific Interests and Books
Richard Fowler always loved science, even though he didn't create any huge new discoveries. When he was a student in Edinburgh, he was very interested in new ideas about electricity. He learned about the work of a scientist named Galvani, who discovered how electricity could make muscles move. Fowler did many experiments on this "animal electricity." He published his findings in a book called 'Experiments and Observations on the Influence lately discovered by M. Galvani, and commonly called Animal Electricity' in 1793. This book also talked about how a medicine called opium affected nerves and muscles.
Many years later, Fowler wrote two small books about how people think, especially those who are blind or deaf. These books were:
- 'Observations on the Mental State of the Blind and Deaf and Dumb' (1843)
- 'The Physiological Processes of Thinking, especially in Persons whose Organs of Sense are Defective' (1849)
These books showed he had read a lot and made interesting observations. He also wrote a book called 'On Literary and Scientific Pursuits as conducive to Longevity' (1855), which was about how reading and science can help people live longer. While he didn't write much about purely medical topics, he did share his ideas at meetings of the British Association.
In 1860, he helped start the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum in Salisbury. This museum is still there today!
