John Reid (1776 – 2 July 1822) was an English physician.

Life

Reid was born at

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1776. After attending the school of Philip Holland, a dissenting minister, Reid studied at the Hackney nonconformist academy for five years. He then studied medicine at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

, graduating M.D. on 12 September 1798, reading a thesis ''De Insania''. He became a licentiate of the

College of Physicians of London 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 p ...

on 25 June 1804. Reid gave lectures on the theory and practice of medicine, and was physician to the

Finsbury Dispensary The Finsbury Dispensary, more fully the Finsbury Dispensary for Administering Advice and Medicines to the Poor, was a charitable dispensary giving medical treatment to poor people in Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London. It was founded in ...

. His house was in Grenville Street,

Brunswick Square Brunswick Square is a public garden and ancillary streets along two of its sides in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is overlooked by the School of Pharmacy and the Foundling Museum to the north; the Brunswick Centre to the we ...

, and he died there on 2 July 1822.

Works

Reid published in 1801 a translation from the French ''An Account of the Savage Youth of Avignon''; in 1806 ''A Treatise of Consumption'', in which he stated his belief that

tubercles In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, b ...

were inflammatory products, and had no real resemblance to caseous disease of lymphatic glands; and in 1816 ''Essays on Insanity'', of which an enlarged edition appeared in 1821 as ''Essays on Hypochondriasis and other Nervous Affections''. He was also a contributor of medical reports to the ''

Monthly Magazine ''The Monthly Magazine'' (1796–1843) of London began publication in February 1796 as ''The Monthly Magazine and British Register''. From 1826 through 1835 it used the title ''The Monthly Magazine, or British Register of Literature, Sciences, a ...

''. The ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' commented of Reid that "he generally writes with good sense, and relates a few interesting cases of mental disease, but has added nothing to medical knowledge."

Family

Reid married

Elizabeth Jesser Sturch Elizabeth Jesser Reid (; Sturch; 25 December 1789 – 1 April 1866), forename sometimes spelled Elisabeth, was an English social reformer, anti-slavery activist and philanthropist. She is best remembered as the founder of Bedford College. B ...

in 1821; she was the daughter of

William Sturch William Sturch (1753?–1838) was an English Unitarian theological writer. Nonconformist background William Sturch came from a long line of General Baptist ministers. His great-grandfather, William Sturch (died 1728), ministered in London. His gr ...

. He left his wife an inheritance which she used to found Bedford College. Art UK website, ''Modern Portraits for Modern Women: Principals and Pioneers from the Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Art Collection''
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, John 1776 births 1822 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors English medical writers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh English male non-fiction writers 19th-century English male writers