Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster (9 November 1789 – 2 February 1860) was an English astronomer, physician, naturalist and philosopher. An early

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist, he promoted

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and founded the

Animals' Friend Society The Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was an animal welfare organisation founded in 1832 by Lewis Gompertz and T. Forster. Along with the RSPCA, it was a pioneering organisation advocating for animal welfare in the ...

with

Lewis Gompertz Lewis Gompertz (1783/4 – 2 December 1861) was an English activist, philosopher, writer, and inventor. He dedicated his life to promoting animal rights and Animal welfare, welfare, and veganism. Gompertz was the youngest of 15 children in a ...

. He published pamphlets on a wide variety of subjects, including morality,

Pythagorean philosophy Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Kroton, ...

, bird migration,

Sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

, and "

phrenology Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the Human brain, brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific ...

", a term that he coined in 1815.

Life

Forster was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, on 9 November 1789, the eldest son of Thomas Furly Forster of

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

, who was a

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, and follower of

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

. He did not have the conventional classical literary education, but learned some science from his uncle Benjamin Meggot Forster. The

Great Comet of 1811 The Great Comet of 1811, formally designated C/1811 F1, is a comet that was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, the longest recorded period of visibility until the appearance of Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brighte ...

aroused his interest in astronomy, a science which he continued to pursue, and eight years later, on 3 July 1819, he himself discovered a new comet. He declined a fellowship to the Royal Society in 1816 as he disliked some of the rules. He matriculated at

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th c ...

, in order to study law, but soon abandoned it to study medicine, taking his degree in 1819. Two years before, he had married Julia, daughter of Colonel Mark Beaufoy, and taken up residence at Spa Lodge,

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

. After the birth of his only daughter he moved to Hartwell in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, and then spent three years abroad. During the 1820s, he converted to Roman Catholicism. After his return to England he became a fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

and helped to found a meteorological society along with Sir Richard Phillips, which had only a brief existence. After his father's death in 1825, he took up his residence in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

in order to be near his daughter, then a pupil at Newhall Convent. Here he undertook a series of researches on the influence of atmospheric conditions on diseases, and particularly on

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

which also involved a balloon ascent in April 1831. In 1833 he again went abroad, where he spent most of his remaining years, settling finally in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

, Belgium. He continued writing during the latter part of his life, including poetry. He also composed selections for the violin. He numbered among his friends authors and scholars of his time, such as

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and classics, classical scholar at Cambridge University, being a fellow first of Peterhouse then of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College. He is widely ...

Richard Porson Richard Porson (25 December 1759 – 25 September 1808) was an English classical scholar. He was the discoverer of Porson's Law. The Greek typeface '' Porson'' was based on his handwriting. Early life Richard Porson was born at East Ruston, ne ...

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...

Thomas Love Peacock Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels ...

William Herschel Frederick William Herschel ( ; ; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover ...

, and

William Whewell William Whewell ( ; 24 May 17946 March 1866) was an English polymath. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved distinction in both poetry and mathematics. The breadth of Whewell's endeavours is ...

. He became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

, following a

Pythagorean diet Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Kroton, ...

, and along with Lewis Gompertz, founded the Animals' Friend Society in 1833. Forster lived in Bruges from 1842 to 1852. He then moved to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, where he died on 2 February 1860.

Works

In 1805 Forster had compiled a "Journal of the Weather" and had published his ''Liber Rerum Naturalium''. In 1806, inspired by

Gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...

's works, he took up the study of

. Later he met

Johann Spurzheim Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (31 December 1776 – 10 November 1832) was a German physician who became one of the chief proponents of phrenology, which was developed c. 1800 by Franz Joseph Gall (1758–1828). Biography Spurzheim was born near Tr ...

, and studied with him the anatomy and physiology of the brain. Forster accompanied Spurzheim to Edinburgh, where he communicated a paper on the

comparative anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

of the brain to the Wernerian Society. On his return to London he published a sketch of Gall and Spurzheim's system, which, like many of his writings, appeared in the ''

Pamphleteer A pamphleteer is a historical term used to describe someone who creates or distributes pamphlets, unbound (therefore inexpensive) booklets intended for wide circulation. Context Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions: to articu ...

'', together with an essay on the application of the organology of the brain to education. He coined the term "Phrenology" in 1815. Forster was influenced by John Abernethy under whom he studied surgery. Abernethy believed in diet as being key to health. In 1813, Forster published his ''Physiological Reflections on the Destructive Operation of Spiritous and Fermented Liquors on the Animal System'' where he traced his vegetarianism to Italian renaissance writing,

Pythagorean Pythagorean, meaning of or pertaining to the ancient Ionian mathematician, philosopher, and music theorist Pythagoras, may refer to: Philosophy * Pythagoreanism, the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs purported to have been held by Pythagoras * Ne ...

ideas on the transmigration of the soul, cruelty to animals, and Hindu practices. He also influenced Shelley's conversion to vegetarianism. Forster-2

Forster's observations and studies in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

led to the publication, in 1824, of his "Perennial Calendar". In 1830 he collected and published the letters of

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...

, and

Algernon Sydney Algernon Sidney or Sydney (15 January 1623 – 7 December 1683) was an English politician, republican political theorist and colonel. A member of the middle part of the Long Parliament and commissioner of the trial of King Charles I of Englan ...

which he inherited from Benjamin Furly. Other publications included:
''Researches About Atmospheric Phaenomena'' (London, 1813; 2nd ed., 1815)
*''Reflections on the Destructive Operation of Spirituous Liquors'' (London, 1812) *''Somatopsychonoologia'' (1823) written under the pen-name ''Philostratus'' *The Perennial Calendar, and Companion to the Almanack (1824) *''Pocket Encyclopedia of Natural Phenomena'' (from his father's MSS., 1826) *
Medicina Simplex
' (1832) *''Beobachtungen uber den Einfluss des Luftdruckes auf das Gehor'' (Frankfurt, 1835) *''Observations sur l'influence des Cometes'' (1836) *
Philozoia, or Moral Reflections on the actual condition of the Animal Kingdom, and the means of improving the same
' (Brussels, 1839) *''Pan, a Pastoral'' (Brussels, 1840) *''Essay on Abnormal Affections of the Organs of Sense'' (Tunbridge Wells, 1841) *''Sati or Universal Immortality'' (1843)

sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

, considering it consistent with Christianity] *''Annales d'un Physicien Voyageur'' (Bruges, 1848) *Numerous articles in ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' *''A Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds: Intended to Identify the Species Mentioned by Different Names in Several Catalogues Already Extant. Forming a Book of Reference to Observations on British Ornithology'' (printed by and for Nichols, son, and Bentley, 1817) File:Forster-1.jpg, 1813 copy of Forster's "Researches about atmospheric phaenomena" File:Forster-3.jpg, Table of contents for "Researches about atmospheric phaenomena" File:Forster-4.jpg, First page of "Researches about atmospheric phaenomena"

References

;Attribution * Cites: **Forster, ''Recueil de ma Vie'' (Frankfurt, 1835) **''Epistolarium Forsterianum'' (Bruges, 1845–50) ** **

Joseph Gillow Joseph Gillow (5 October 1850, Preston, Lancashire – 17 March 1921, Westholme, Hale, Cheshire) was an English Roman Catholic antiquary, historian and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics". Biography Born in Frenchwood Ho ...

, ''Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath.''

External links

Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster
at

Hathitrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster
at the

Wellcome Collection Wellcome Collection is a museum and library based at 183 Euston Road, London, England, displaying a mixture of medical artefacts and original artworks exploring "ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art". Founded in 2007, the W ...

Sketch at the Royal SocietyObservations on the brumal retreat of the swallow with a copious reference to passages relating to this subject
(1817) {{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Thomas 1789 births 1860 deaths 19th-century British astronomers 19th-century English philosophers 19th-century English medical doctors Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Converts to Roman Catholicism from Evangelicalism English animal rights activists English anti-vivisectionists English emigrants to Belgium English naturalists English pamphleteers English vegetarianism activists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society People from Walthamstow Phrenologists Scientists from London Founders of charities