Dr James Clark or Clarke FRS FRSE (1737-1819) was a Scottish doctor and plantation-owner strongly linked to the history of the Dominica. His treatise on

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

earned him instant fame and Fellowship in both the

Royal Society of London 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 ...

and Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was a physician, chemist and natural historian. He made significant advances on the understanding of the nature of contagious diseases.

Life

James Clark was a doctor in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

working there in the mid-18th century. Around 1770 he sailed to Dominica. Here he acquired a sugar plantation which still exists today, known either as Clark Hall Estate or Clarke Hall Estate. He also owned coffee plantations. In his 40 years on the island he amassed a considerable fortune. He also served a role in the governance of the island, serving on HM Council. In Dominica he spent much time with fellow-Scot and fellow-plantation-owner, Dr James Laing, who owned the Shillingford Estate which made Macoucherie Rum. Laing is noted as being the donator of the famous 61-minute clock on

Crimond Church Crimond Church is a Christian, Church of Scotland Presbyterian church, located on the east side of the A90 road in the centre of the village of Crimond, Aberdeenshire, Scotland at location . It was built in 1812, to a design by Robert Mitchell, ...

which originally came from Laing’s estate at Haddo. In 1793 an epidemic of

, one of the most lethal tropical diseases of its day, hit Dominica, beginning on 15 June, from a white sailor in the harbour, having originated in Grenada on the ship Hankey. Dr Clark made a first-hand study of the outbreak, which lasted three years and published his findings in 1797. The study hypothesised about the reasons for the outbreak and was one of the first studies to hint at the role of mosquitoes in the spread of disease. He also discusses symptoms of the disease and possible means of prevention. The study also branches into commentary on other diseases such as

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

, cholera and

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

. It also made a chemical analysis and assessment of the curative properties of the hot mineral springs on the island. James also observed that newcomers (regardless of race) were particularly susceptible to yellow fever, hinting at a degree of immunity within the static population. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1791 (prior to his famous treatise), his main proposer being James Hutton, and elected a Fellow of the

in 1799 (due to his treatise). He was also a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

(1792), and a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries and Society of Arts. He returned to Britain around 1810, presumably in a state of retiral. He appears to have then resided in the

Hatton Garden Hatton Garden is a street and commercial zone in the Holborn district of the London Borough of Camden, abutting the narrow precinct of Saffron Hill which then abuts the City of London. It takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, a favouri ...

district of

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 ...

at or near the house of his daughter. He died in the

district of

on 21 January 1819.

Family

Clark had an Afro-European

common law wife Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civil ...

in Dominica known as Mary Clark. Four children survived: two sons and two daughters. His two daughters, Ann Eliza Clark and Sarah Clark, returned to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, the former marrying Mr Sim of

. George Clark became a millwright in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and later a merchant in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

. Edward Clark was a clerk on Dominica. On the death of James Clark, George inherited the Clark Hall Estate. George was one of the many thousands of persons compensated when Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Publications

*''A Treatise on the Yellow Fever as it appeared in the Island of Dominica in the years 1793-1796'' (published in London, 1797)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, James 1737 births 1819 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh