Bryan Robinson (1680–1754) was an Irish physician, academic and writer.
Life
A native of
Clapham, North Yorkshire
Clapham is a village in the civil parish of Clapham cum Newby in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, north-west of Settle, and j ...
, Robinson graduated M.B. from
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1709, and M.D. in 1711, at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. He was anatomical lecturer there in 1716–17, and in 1745 was appointed
Regius Professor of Physic. On 5 May 1712, he was elected fellow of the
King and Queen's College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), ( ga, Coláiste Ríoga Lianna na hÉireann) is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialty, medical specialities, chiefly thr ...
in Ireland, having been put forward as a candidate on 24 August 1711. He was three times President of the College—in 1718, 1727, and 1739. He was also a member of the Irish Royal College of Surgeons, and a trustee of
Dr Steevens' Hospital
Dr Steevens' Hospital (also called Dr Steevens's Hospital) ( ga, Ospidéal an Dr Steevens), one of Ireland's most distinguished eighteenth-century medical establishments, was located at Kilmainham in Dublin Ireland. It was founded under the terms ...
. He practised in Dublin, and probably attended
Esther Vanhomrigh
Esther Vanhomrigh or Van Homrigh (known by the pseudonym Vanessa; c. 1688 – 2 June 1723), an Irish woman of Dutch (ethnic group), Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published ...
(
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...
's "Vanessa"), who left him a
legacy
In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property.
Legacy or legacies may refer ...
of £15. He was on friendly terms with Swift, who recommended him as a doctor to his acquaintances. He was also a close friend of
Richard Helsham and edited his ''Lectures on Natural Philosophy'' for publication after his death. After several years of failing health, which is said to have caused him to become rather irascible, he died in Dublin on 26 January 1754.
By his wife Mary, he had three sons, including
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
(1712-1787) and Robert (1713-1770). Robert followed his father into the practice of medicine and like his father was elected President of the College of Physicians. Christopher was for many years a judge of the
Court of King's Bench (Ireland)
The Court of King's Bench (of Queen's Bench when the sovereign was female, and formerly of Chief Place or Chief Pleas) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The King's Benc ...
and is best remembered for his impressive collection of legal textbooks, which was purchased by the
Irish Bar
The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
and formed the nucleus of the present library of the
King's Inn
The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...
.
[Kenny, Colum "King's Inn and the Kingdom of Ireland" Irish Academic Press Dublin 1992]
Works
Robinson had a reputation in his day, both as a medical and mathematical writer. His earliest work was a translation of
Philippe de La Hire's ''New Elements of Conick Sections'', 1704. In 1725 he published an account of the inoculation of five children in Dublin. ''The Case of Miss Rolt communicated by an Eye-witness'' was added in an edition printed in London in the same year. This was followed in 1732–3 by Robinson's major work, the ''Treatise on the Animal Economy''. It was attacked by
Thomas Morgan in his ''Mechanical Practice'', and defended by the author in a ''Letter to Dr. Cheyne'' (with the third enlarged edition of 1738). Robinson was a follower of
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
, and tried to account for animal motions by his principles, and to apply them to the treatment of diseases. He attributed the production of muscular power to the vibration of an ethereal fluid pervading the animal body. His chapter on respiration presaged the discovery of
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
.
Robinson's next work was a ''Dissertation on the Food and Discharges of Human Bodies'', 1747. It was translated into French, and inserted in ''Le Pharmacien Moderne'', 1750. It was followed by ''Observations on the Virtues and Operations of Medicines'' (1752). Robinson also edited
Richard Helsham's ''Course of Lectures in Natural Philosophy'', 1739 (2nd edit. 1743; reissued in 1767 and 1777).
Robinson also wrote a ''Dissertation on the Æther of Sir Isaac Newton'' (Dublin, 1743; London, 1747); and an ''Essay upon Money and Coins'' (1758), posthumously published by his sons, Christopher and Robert. Part ii. is dedicated to
Henry Bilson Legge
Henry Bilson-Legge (29 May 1708 – 23 August 1764) was an English statesman. He notably served three times as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1750s and 1760s.
Background and education
Bilson-Legge was the fourth son of William Legge, 1st ...
. It contains Newton's report to the Treasury on 21 September 1717 on the state of the gold and silver coinage.
References
*
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Bryan
1680 births
1754 deaths
18th-century Irish medical doctors
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland