Francis Barker (1773–1859) was an Irish physician known for his work in tracking fever epidemics.

Life

Born in

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, Barker was one of six children of William Barker (1731–88) and Elizabeth Barker (née Acheson). Barker was educated in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

during which time he got to know

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. He graduating as an MD in 1795, with his thesis studying the work of Galvani that suggested the presence of nervous fluid with dynamical electricity. Barker established what is believed to be the first fever hospital in Ireland in 1810. He was Professor of Chemistry at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

(1808–50), and Secretary to the Irish Board of Health (1820–32). Barker married Emma (née Conolly), the daughter of the vicar of

Donard Donard (historically ''Dunard'', from )Placenames Database of Ireland
(see archival records)

, County Wicklow in 1804. They had four daughters and a son

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

(1810–73), who went on to be a professor of chemistry (1850–73) at the

Royal College of Science for Ireland The Royal College of Science for Ireland (RCScI) was an institute for higher education in Dublin which existed from 1867 to 1926, specialising in physical sciences and applied science. It was originally based on St. Stephen's Green, moving in 1 ...

Works

Barker edited the ''Dublin Pharmacopeia'' from 1826 and in collaboration with John Cheyne wrote ''An account of the rise, progress and decline of the fever lately epidemical in Ireland'' (2 vols., 1821). Barker's work with Cheyne highlighted the link between poverty and low hygiene standards in the spread of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

in 1816–19.

References

19th-century Irish medical doctors 1773 births 1859 deaths 18th-century Irish medical doctors Medical doctors from County Waterford Irish healthcare managers {{Ireland-med-bio-stub