James Grieve FRS (died 1773) was a Scottish translator, writer and physician. As translator of ‘

Celsus Celsus (; , ''Kélsos''; ) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. His literary work '' The True Word'' (also ''Account'', ''Doctrine'' or ''Discourse''; Greek: )Hoffmann p.29 survives exclusively via quotati ...

,’ his work helped restore a path to classical medicine.

Early years

Grieve studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, graduating with an MD in 1733. ''Historical sketch and laws of the Royal College of Physicians, of Edinburgh''
p. 3, (Edinburgh 1867).

Russian Service

Grieve was authorised to practice medicine in Russia in 1734, arriving two years ahead of his contemporary James Mounsey, future

archiater An archiater () was a chief physician of a monarch, who typically retained several. At the Roman imperial court, their chief held the high rank and specific title of ''Comes archiatrorum''. The term has also been used of chief physicians in commun ...

to Empress Elizabeth. He spent several years as physician to the

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

,' moved to

Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...

, and then to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, initially to the army hospital as physician to the guards regiment, and ultimately as ''Shtadt-fizik'' (City Physician). In 1751 he transferred to Moscow as ''Shtadt-fizik''. ''By the banks of the Neva'':...
Anthony Glenn Cross, pp. 131–2, (Cambridge 2007). He was created licentiate from the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

in 1753 and selected fellow to the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

on 6 February, a position he held several years to include the assignment as physician to the

Empress of Russia The emperor and autocrat of all Russia (, ), also translated as emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, was the official title of the Russian monarch from 1721 to 1917. The title originated in connection with Russia's victory in the Great Nor ...

. He translated for publication the "History of Kamtschatka," in 1763 as his Russian service ended. This book details the overland portion of the 1733-1743 exploration into the vast eastern expanses of Asia initiated under Emperor Peter I and concluded during Empress Elizabeth's reign.

Return to England

In 1764 he was appointed physician to

St Thomas's Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospit ...

, and in the following year to the Charterhouse. He was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

2 March 1769, and became a fellow of the

College of Physicians A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

'speciali gratiâ' 30 September 1771. He died 9 July 1773 at his official residence in

Charterhouse Square Charterhouse Square is a garden square, a pentagonal space, in Farringdon, in the London Borough of Islington, and close to the former Smithfield Meat Market. The square is the largest courtyard or yard associated with the London Charterhouse ...

. He is described by Dr Lettsom, who was his pupil, as an amiable man and unassuming scholar.

Translations

His published translations include two works: 'A. Cornelius Celsus of Medicine in eight books, translated, with Notes Critical and Explanatory, by James Grieve, M.D.' A third edition of this translation, was published in 1837, 'carefully revised with additional notes by George Futvoye', Samuel Sharp reviewed the text portions related to surgery while on staff at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital founded by philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721, located in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the Kin ...

; and

Stepan Krasheninnikov Stepan Petrovich Krasheninnikov (; – ) was a Russian explorer of Siberia, naturalist and geographer who gave the first full description of Kamchatka in the early 18th century. He was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1745. The Kra ...

's 'History of Kamtschatka...,’ published at London 1763, Gloucester 1764, and afterwards at Saint Petersburg.

Family

He married Miss Anne Le Grand (''d''. 1767) in late 1764 and together they had one daughter, Anne, who survived both parents.

Selected bibliography

''A. Cornelius Celcus of Medicine''

''The History of Kamtschatka and the Kurilski Islands, with the Countries Adjacent''
(Gloucester 1764).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grieve, James Year of birth unknown 1773 deaths 18th-century Scottish writers 18th-century Scottish male writers 18th-century Scottish translators Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish expatriates in Russia