Ezekiel Nesbitt (1712–1798) was an Irish medical doctor who twice held the presidency of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI).

Background and education

Nesbitt was born in County Donegal and educated privately in the town of

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

. His father, George Nesbitt, was a clergyman from Mountcharles in Donegal. Ezekiel studied at Trinity College Dublin from 1728/1729 to 1732, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to obtain a medical degree at Leiden in the Netherlands, graduating in 1734. He returned to Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1740. He was admitted as a candidate for examination at the RCPI in 1741 and received his Fellowship in 1746. He was twice elected President of RCPI, in 1753–1754 and 1763–1764, and in 1765 was made an Honorary Fellow of the college.

Career

Most of Nesbitt's career was spent in private practice in the town of

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 ...

in Somerset, England. In 1759, he was appointed as a physician at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, one of the first maternity hospitals in the world. Nesbitt had been recommended by

Bartholomew Mosse Bartholomew Mosse (1712 – 16 February 1759) was an Irish surgeon and impresario responsible for founding the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. Early life Bartholemew Mosse was born in Dysart, 2 km east of Portlaoise (then called Maryborough) ...

, the founder and Master of the hospital. Nesbitt moved to Bath permanently around 1764 but did not resign from his post at the Rotunda until prompted to do so by the Secretary of the Board of Governors in 1774.

Personal life

In 1747, Nesbitt married Lady Crofton (née Martha Damer), widow of the late Sir Edward Crofton, 4th Baronet. Through this marriage Nesbitt joined the influential Dawson-Damer family and benefitted from his wife's £1,000 per annum stipend – equivalent to more than £230,000 in 2020. Nesbitt had broad interests, including the history of Ireland, celestial cartography,

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...

s, the flora of London, and

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

. Nesbitt died in Bath in 1798.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbitt, Ezekiel Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland 18th-century Irish medical doctors 1712 births 1798 deaths Medical doctors from County Donegal Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Dawson-Damer family