Dr Humphrey Ridley (1653 – April 1708) was a British physician, who followed the research done by Willis, Vieussens, and Galen, and is most noted for his studies of neuroanatomy.

Life

Ridley was born the son of Thomas Ridley, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. In 1671, aged 18, he began his studies in medicine at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, but from there didn't get a degree. Instead, Ridley graduated as a doctor of medicine from

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

in 1679 with a thesis on sexually transmitted diseases with the title “De lue venerea," after which in 1688 he was incorporated as MD at Cambridge. After settling in London, he became a Candidate of the College of Physicians on 30 September 1691, and then admitted as a fellow on the same day the following year. In 1693/4, he gave the

Gulstonian lectures The Goulstonian Lectures are an annual lecture series given on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians in London. They began in 1639. The lectures are named for Theodore Goulston (or Gulston, died 1632), who founded them with a bequest A beque ...

. Ridley died in April 1708, and was buried at

St Andrew's, Holborn The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without. History Roman and medieval Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 exc ...

on 9 April.

Works

* ''The Anatomy of the Brain, containing its Mechanism and Physiology; together with some new Discoveries and Corrections of Ancient and Modern Authors upon that subject'' * ''Observationes Medico-Practicæ et Physiologicæ de Asthmate et Hydrophobiâ''

Notes

8 volumes, London, 1695. This was also the first book to be written about the brain in the English language. 8 volumes, London, 1703, containing cases of a variety of disorders and ten bodily dissections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Humphrey Alumni of Merton College, Oxford 1653 births 1708 deaths 17th-century English medical doctors 18th-century English medical doctors