John Milner Barry (1768–1822) was an Irish

medical doctor 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 study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

Life

Barry was the eldest son of James Barry of Kilgobbin near

Bandon, County Cork Bandon (; ) is a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the River Bandon between two hills. The name in Irish means 'Bridge of the Bandon', a reference to the origin of the town as a crossing point on the river. In 2004 Ba ...

. In 1792 he graduated with an MD from 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 ...

, and practised

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, ...

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

until his death. He introduced

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

into Cork in 1800, and thus was the first to make it known to any Irish city. In 1802 he founded the Cork Fever Hospital and House of Recovery and was its first

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 ...

. He held the lectureship on

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

in the

Royal Cork Institution Royal Cork Institution was an Irish cultural institution in the city of Cork from 1803 to 1885. It consisted of a library of scientific works, a museum with old Irish manuscripts and stones with ogham inscriptions, and lecture and reading rooms. ...

for many years, and resigned the post in 1815. He married Mary, eldest daughter of William Phair of Brooklodge near Cork in 1808, and died in 1822. In 1824 a monument with a long laudatory inscription was erected to his memory in the grounds of the Fever Hospital by his fellow-townsmen. Dr. Barry contributed many papers on vaccination, fever, and similar subjects to the London ''Medical and Physical Journal'', 1800–1 (vols. iii., iv., and vi.); to Dr. Harty's ''History of the Contagious Fever Epidemics in Ireland in 1817, 1818, and 1819'', Dublin, 1820; to Barker and Cheyne's ''Fever in Ireland'', Dublin, 1821; and to the ''Transactions of the Irish College of Physicians'', vol. ii. He also published several

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

s, and wrote many annual reports of the Cork Fever Hospital. In his essays he forcibly described the physical dangers of

drunk Alcohol intoxication, commonly described in higher doses as drunkenness or inebriation, and known in overdose as alcohol poisoning, is the behavior and physical effects caused by recent consumption of alcohol. The technical term ''intoxication ...

enness, and the necessity of coercing habitual drunkards by law. He also strongly advocated the development of

female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

. Barry's second son, John O'Brien Milner Barry, (1815–1881), was also a physician. He studied medicine at Paris from 1883 to 1836, and graduated with an MD from the

in 1837. He practised for some years at

Laugharne Laugharne () is a town on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. The Ancient borough#Charters, ancient borough of Laugharne Township () with its #Laugharne Corporation, Corporation and Charter is a ...

, at

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

, and finally, from 1852 till his death in 1881, at

Tunbridge Tunbridge may refer to the following places: * Tunbridge, Illinois, United States * Tunbridge, North Dakota, see Locations in the United States with an English name#North Dakota * Tunbridge, Tasmania, Australia * Tunbridge, Vermont, United States ...

. He became a Fellow of 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 ...

shortly before his death in 1822.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, John Milner 1768 births 1822 deaths 18th-century Irish medical doctors 19th-century Irish medical doctors People from Bandon, County Cork Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Irish non-fiction writers Medical doctors from County Cork 18th-century Irish writers 19th-century Irish writers