Robert Watt (bibliographer) facts for kids
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Robert Watt was a Scottish doctor and a person who studied and listed books (a bibliographer). He was born around May 1, 1774, and passed away on March 12, 1819.
Contents
Robert's Early Life
Robert Watt grew up in a small farming family in Bonnyton, Scotland. He went to school from age six to twelve. After school, he worked as a ploughman.
When he was seventeen, Robert started learning how to make furniture with his brother. But he had a bigger dream: he wanted to go to Glasgow University. A local teacher helped him study, and he got into Glasgow University in 1793. Later, he moved to Edinburgh University in 1795.
Robert first thought about becoming a minister. However, he decided to study medicine instead. He earned his medical license in 1799. Soon after, he started working as a doctor in Paisley.
Becoming a Doctor
By 1800, Robert Watt was already writing articles for medical journals. He kept publishing medical papers until 1814. He helped start the Paisley Medical Society in 1806. In 1807, he became a full member of the Glasgow Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. This helped him become a well-known doctor in Glasgow.
From 1814 to 1816, he was the President of the Faculty. He also helped create the Glasgow Medical Society and was its first president. Robert wrote two books and several papers about medicine. One important book from 1813 was about children's health. He wrote it after two of his own children sadly passed away from whooping cough. In this book, he studied how smallpox vaccination helped reduce deaths from smallpox.
In 1817, Robert had to stop being a doctor because he was not well. His most famous work is not about medicine, but about books!
Bibliotheca Britannica: A Big Book Project
Robert Watt's first book about books was a list of his own medical library in 1812. But his next project, Bibliotheca Britannica, was much, much bigger. It was planned to be a huge index of books from Great Britain and Ireland. It also included foreign books translated into English. Plus, it listed important works by famous authors from all times and places.
Robert passed away in 1819. However, he had finished most of the book, and printing had already started. Friends like Thomas Chalmers and George Jardine helped make sure the book was completed. The full book came out in 1824. It had four large volumes. The first two volumes listed authors in alphabetical order. The last two volumes listed books by subject.
This amazing work covered over 40,000 authors. It even included some magazine articles. Today, the Paisley Public Library keeps a handwritten copy of Bibliotheca Britannica. It is made up of 57 large volumes!
Robert Watt's Books
- Cases of Diabetes, Consumption, etc., with Observations on the History and Treatment of Disease in General, 1808
- Catalogue of Medical Books for the Use of Students Attending Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Medicine, Glasgow, 1812
- Treatise on the History, Nature and Treatment of Chincough... to which is subjoined an Inquiry into the Relative Mortality of the Principal Diseases of Children, Glasgow, 1813.
- The Rule of Life, 1814
- Bibliotheca Britannica or a general index of British and foreign literature. Edinburgh, Constable, 1824. Four volumes.
