The Professor of Physic (the term for medicine at the time the post was created in 1597) at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ov ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separa ...

, gives free educational lectures to the general public on medicine, health and related sciences. The college was founded to give public lectures in 1597 (

New Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

). Professors of Physic and more recently visiting Professors have been giving public lectures on major topics in medicine in London since 1597; recently these have also been put on line as a free resource for a wider public including outside the UK. Gresham Professors have included some of the leading scientists in Britain including Sir Christopher Wren and

Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of ...

. Gresham Professors of Physic listed below included leaders in medicine, public health, surgery and clinical science. In addition eminent medical scientists and physicians were Gresham Professors of other disciplines, such as Sir

William Petty Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to s ...

, one of the founders of demography (Gresham Professor of Music from 1651). The Professor of Physic is always appointed by the Mercers' Side of the Joint Grand Gresham Committee, a body administered jointly by the

Worshipful Company of Mercers The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. It is the first of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. Although of even older origin, the c ...

and the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

List of Gresham Professors of Physic

References

Gresham College old website, Internet Archive
List of professors

List of Gresham Professors of Physic

References

Notes

Further reading