Timothy Clarke facts for kids
Timothy Clarke (died 1672) was an English doctor who helped start the Royal Society, a famous group for scientists.
Life of Timothy Clarke
Timothy Clarke was a student at Balliol College, Oxford in May 1648. This was during a time when the government was checking on the university. He didn't agree with some of the changes, but he was still allowed to finish his medical degree (M.D.) in 1652.
Later, he joined the College of Physicians in London. He became a candidate in 1654 and a full member in 1664.
Clarke's Work as an Anatomist
Timothy Clarke was well-known in his time for studying the human body, which is called anatomy. He was very good at it.
King Charles II liked his work. A famous writer named Samuel Pepys wrote that Clarke even showed the King some dissections. A dissection is when you carefully cut open a body to study its parts. The King was very impressed!
In 1660, Clarke became a doctor for the royal family, called a physician in ordinary. In 1663, he also became a doctor for the army. When another doctor, Dr. Quartermaine, passed away in 1667, Clarke became the second main doctor for the King. He was also expected to become the chief doctor after Dr. George Bate.
In 1670, he was chosen as an "elect" of the College of Physicians. This was a special honor. He also got his doctor's degree recognized at Cambridge University in 1668.
Timothy Clarke passed away at his home in London on February 11, 1672. He did not have any children. His wife, Frances, took care of his will.
Clarke's Scientific Contributions
Timothy Clarke was one of the first people to join the Royal Society. He was even named as one of the first members of its council.
He wrote a long paper in a science magazine called Philosophical Transactions in 1668. In this paper, he tried to show that Dr. George Joyliffe was the first to discover the lymphatic vessels. These are tiny tubes in your body that help carry fluids.
Clarke was also working on a book about his own discoveries in anatomy. The Royal Society was going to pay for it to be published. However, he died before he could finish the book.
