Robert James Mann (5 January 1817 – 8 August 1886) was an English physician and science writer.
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Life

The son of James Mann of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, he was born there in 1817, and educated for the medical profession at

University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

. At the hospital connected with the college he acted as dresser to

Robert Liston Robert Liston (28 October 1794 – 7 December 1847) was a British surgeon. Liston was noted for his speed and skill in an era prior to anaesthesia, anaesthetics, when speed made a difference in terms of pain and survival. He was the first Pro ...

. He practised for some years in Norfolk, first in Norwich, and then at

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

. In 1853 he was in poor health, and he concentrate more on writing. In 1854 he graduated M.D. in the

University of St. Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...

, and in 1857, on the invitation of

John Colenso John William Colenso (24 January 1814 – 20 June 1883) was a Cornish cleric and mathematician, defender of the Zulu and biblical scholar, who served as the first Bishop of Natal. He was a scholar of the Zulu language. In his role as an Ang ...

, he left England for

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, where he stayed for nine years. Two years after his arrival, Mann was appointed the first superintendent of education for Natal, and set up a system of

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

. He also took up meteorology. In 1866 he returned from Natal with an appointment from the legislative council as emigration agent for the colony; and for the rest of his life lived in or near London. For three years Mann was president of the Meteorological Society, and for about a similar period one of the board of visitors of the Royal Institution. From 1874 to 1886 he acted as secretary to the African and the Foreign and Colonial sections of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

. He was also member or fellow of the Astronomical, Geographical, Photographic, and other societies, and was involved in a number of international exhibitions. Mann died at Wandsworth on 8 August 1886, and was buried at

Kensal Green Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington, London, North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent ...

Works

Mann was a noted scientific populariser. His first work, ''The Planetary and Stellar Universe'' (1845), was based on a course of lectures delivered to a provincial audience, and it was followed by a series of popular texts on astronomy, chemistry, physiology, and health. Major works were: * ''The Book of Health'', 1850. * ''The Philosophy of Reproduction'', 1850. * ''Tennyson's "Maud" vindicated; an Explanatory Essay'', 1850. * ''A Guide to the Knowledge of the Heavens, designed for the use of Schools and Families.'', 1852. * ''Lessons in General Knowledge'', 1855–6. * ''A Guide to the Knowledge of Life'', 1858. * ''A Guide to Astronomical Science'', 1858, * ''A Description of Natal'', 1860.
''The Colony of Natal''
1860–2. * ''Medicine for Emergencies'', 1861. * ''The Emigrant's Guide to Natal'', 1868; 2nd ed. 1873. * ''The Weather'', 1877. * ''Drink: Simple Lessons for Home Use'', 1877. * ''Domestic Economy and Household Science'', 1878. * ''The Zulus and Boers of South Africa'', 1879. * ''The Physical Properties of the Atmosphere'', 1879. * ''Familiar Lectures on the Physiology of Food and Drink'', 1884. Mann was also a contributor of scientific articles to periodicals, in particular the ''

Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

'' and ''

Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was so ...

''. The ''Royal Society Catalogue of Scientific Papers'' had him as the author of 23 memoirs in scientific periodicals.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Robert James 1817 births 1886 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors English science writers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Medical doctors from Norwich Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Writers from Norwich