James MacFadyen (1799–1850) was a Scottish medical doctor and

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 ...

who made a significant contribution to the scientific study of the plants of the Caribbean region. Born in

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 ...

on 3 May 1799, he was the eldest son of a

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectu ...

and bookseller, John Macfadyen, and his wife Elisabeth.Extracted from the Old Parish Registers of Scotland, available online: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk Macfayden was the first to describe the

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

scientifically - he gave it its Linnean name, ''Citrus paradisi'' - and to describe new species of

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

trees and other Caribbean plants. In addition to his contributions to botany, MacFayden practised medicine and was actively involved in social organisations in Jamaica. He was elected

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript a ...

on 16 January 1838 and (posthumously) Fellow of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

on 30 November 1850. On 25 November 1832 in

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

he married Margaret McGowan, by whom he had two daughters. After his wife's death on 21 June 1843, he married Emma, by whom he had a son (John J.) and a daughter (Mary E.).Oliver, V.L. (1919) ''Caribbeana'' volume 5, page 39; London: Mitchell Hughes & Clarke. A memorial inscription on the tomb of Margaret in Kingston Church states her date of death.Parish registers of Jamaica and related documents, available online: http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com Whilst treating patients during one of the periodic

epidemics An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of Host (biology), hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example ...

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 ...

there, he himself contracted the disease and died on 24 November 1850.

Early life

Macfayden was born in

on 3 May 1799, he was the eldest son of a music publisher and bookseller, John Macfadyen, and his wife Elisabeth.

Career and civic involvement

He studied

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, ...

around 1818-21 at

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

, where a lifelong interest in botany was sparked; but only in 1837 was he awarded the MD degree. His developing medical career was curtailed by his application - on the recommendation of Sir William Hooker, at that time Professor of Botany at Glasgow University - to become "island botanist" with a brief to establish a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

on Jamaica. After his arrival there in August 1825, he embarked on a detailed study of its natural history, culminating in his two volumes of ''The Flora of Jamaica''; the first was published at his own expense in Glasgow in 1837 and the second posthumously. He was the first to describe the

scientifically - he gave it its Linnean name, ''Citrus paradisi'' - and to describe new species of fig trees and other Caribbean plants. His attempt in 1825-26 to establish a botanical garden in the area around

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

was unsuccessful, caused by a combination of poor soil there and inadequate financial support. Macfadyen set up a profitable medical practice on the island. Over the course of his 25 years on Jamaica, Macfadyen held many positions of responsibility, some related to his work and others of a social nature. His substantive post was as a medical practitioner, including being

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

to the Female

Penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state, usually ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. He also contributed to attempts to enhance the island's economy, by publicising his scientific work and its possible commercial applications. He was Assistant Judge or

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in several

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es and he was President of the Kingston Philharmonic Society. He was also a committed

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

who held numerous senior positions in the charitable

masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

s on the island. An oil painting of him dated 1842 survives in the art collection of the archives at the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

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 ...

. He was elected

of the

on 16 January 1838 and (posthumously) Fellow of the

on 30 November 1850. He maintained contact with Sir William Hooker, who was later to become Director at Kew Gardens, by sending him accounts of his scientific studies and plant specimens over the period 1826-50. In letters to Sir William in 1849, Macfadyen complains about his inadequate “emoluments” that give him little time for botany and that prompt him to ask Hooker for help in securing alternative employment back in England. However he never left Jamaica. Whilst treating patients during one of the periodic

there, he contracted the disease and died on 24 November 1850. A summary of his lifetime achievements appears in an obituary presented to the meeting of the Linnean Society on 24 May 1851.

Personal life

On 25 November 1832 in

he married Margaret McGowan, by whom he had two daughters. After his wife's death on 21 June 1843, he married Emma, by whom he had a son (John J.) and a daughter (Mary E.).

Literature

* The Flora of Jamaicahttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/121699

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfadyen, James 1799 births 1850 deaths Fellows of the Linnean Society of London 19th-century Scottish botanists British expatriates in the British West Indies