James Bovell (1817–1880) was a prominent Canadian
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
,
microscopist,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
,
theologian and
minister.
In his youth, he traveled to
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 ...
to study
medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
at
Guy's Hospital. There, he was related to
Sir Astley Cooper and had
Richard Bright and
Thomas Addison among his professors, and
Robert Graves and
William Stokes among his colleagues. He studied at schools 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 ...
and
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
and later was elected a member of the
Royal College of Physicians.
When he returned to Canada he worked on the fields of pathology and clinical microscopy, and he founded the ''Upper Canada Journal of Medical, Surgical, and Physical Science'' which he edited. He became an important member of the
Canadian Institute and later became a vice president of it. He became an early mentor of the famous physician
William Osler, whom he strongly influenced in his early years.
[Bliss, Michael (1999). ''William Osler: a life in medicine.'' Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 45 . OCLC 41439631.]
Bovell later became a clergyman of the Church of England and wrote on the topic of
natural theology. He is known for his rejection of the
Darwinian theory of evolution and
Lyell's geology, believing instead in the
Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...
on the side of the early
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history.
Spending his early life in Switzerland, he recei ...
and
John Hunter. Yet, he wrote on the relation of religion and science. In a book published in 1860 he wrote to the
Diocese of Huron "with the hope that the explanations given may remove erroneous impressions" at the Church in Canada.
Works
*
A lecture on the future of Canada' (1846)
*
An outline of the history of the British church from the earliest times to the period of Reformation' (1852)
*
Outlines of natural theology for the use of the Canadian student' (1859)
* ''Defence of doctrinal statement'' (1860)
*
Passing thoughts on man's relation to God and on God's relation to man' (1862)
*
A plea for inebriate asylums: commended of the consideration of the legislators of the province of Canada' (1862)
*
Letters: addressed to the Rev. Mr. Fletcher and others: framers of a series of resolutions on "ritual"' (1867)
*
The world at the advent of the Lord Jesus'. Toronto : W.C. Chewett. (1868)
References
* Bovell, James (1859).
Outlines of natural theology : for the use of the Canadian student'. Toronto. Rowsell & Ellis
External links
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
James Bovell (1817-1880): The Toronto Years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovell, James
1817 births
1880 deaths
Canadian Anglican priests
Canadian Anglican theologians
19th-century Canadian physicians
19th-century Church of England clergy
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Microscopists