George Martine, the younger (1700–1741) was a Scottish physician.

Life

Born in Scotland in 1700, he was the son of the historian George Martine. He was educated at the

University of St. Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, where during

Jacobite rebellion of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, lo ...

, he headed a riot of some students of the college, who rang the college bells on the day that the

Old Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales fro ...

was proclaimed. He later studied medicine, first at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(1720), and then at the

University of Leyden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

, graduating M.D. there in 1725. He then returned to Scotland and settled in practice at St. Andrews. In October 1740 Martine accompanied

Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart (1686 – 20 December 1740) was a British Army officer. Before 1732 he was known as The Honourable Charles Cathcart. Family He was the second son of Alan Cathcart, 7th Lord Cathcart by his wife Elizabeth, d ...

, as physician to the forces on the British expedition during the

War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...

, to attack the Spanish possessions in America. After the death of Lord Cathcart, on

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

, 20 December 1740, he was attached as first physician to the expedition against Cartagena under

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was an English naval officer. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in 1 ...

(see

Battle of Cartagena de Indias The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ( es, Sitio de Cartagena de Indias, lit=Siege of Cartagena de Indias) took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spanish Empire, Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain. The result of lo ...

). While there he contracted a "bilious fever", of which he died in 1741. He had been elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in his absence.

Works

Martine wrote: * ''De Similibus Animalibus et de Animalibus Calore libri duo'', London, 1740. * ''Essays Medical and Philosophical,' London, 1740, a collection of six essays; of those, ''Essays and Observations on the Construction and Graduation of Thermometers'', and ''An Essay towards a Natural and Experimental History of the Various Degrees of Heat in Bodies'', were reissued together as a second edition, Edinburgh, in 1772, and again in 1792. * ''In B. Eustachii Tabulas Anatomicas Commentarii'', published by Dr. Monro, Edinburgh, 1755. He also contributed papers on medical subjects to the ''Edinburgh Medical Essays'' and the ''

Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

''. The ''Examination of the Newtonian Argument for the Emptiness of Space'' London, 1740, was also by Martine. It led him into controversy with

Colin Maclaurin Colin Maclaurin (; gd, Cailean MacLabhruinn; February 1698 – 14 June 1746) was a Scottish mathematician who made important contributions to geometry and algebra. He is also known for being a child prodigy and holding the record for bei ...

, who replied with ''Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Discoveries'' (1748), defending Newton's assertion of the

existence of the vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Martine, George 1700 births 1741 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish medical writers Scottish Jacobites Fellows of the Royal Society