Sir John Colbatch (baptised 1666 – 1729) was an English

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

and physician. Beginning as an apprentice, rising through

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to master apothecary in the

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's Company, he went to London in the early 1690s.

Life

Bringing proof of his disfranchisement, dated 23 May 1696, he was examined, and admitted as a licentiate of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

on 22 December 1696. He was knighted by

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on 5 June 1716, and died at an advanced age 15 January 1729, leaving his estate to his wife, Elizabeth. Colbatch offered his services to the "Charitable Society for relieving the Sick, Poor and Needy" in early 1716, which went on to found

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

. Colbatch became famous in London for his medicines: a "Vulnerary Powder", with the power to stop bleeding without application of a tourniquet, and "Tincture of the Sulphur of Venus", which speeded healing. While apparently initially successful on a trial involving a dog, the powder caused severe burns without slowing the bleeding when applied to humans. Colbatch's detractors claimed this was due to the powder's

caustic Caustic most commonly refers to: * Causticity, a property of various corrosive substances ** Sodium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic soda'' ** Potassium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic potash'' ** Calcium oxide, sometimes called ''caus ...

nature, while Colbatch claimed it was due to improper application of the medicine to the wounds. Colbatch resisted the common view that medicines were so-called "alkalies" which countered "acidic" diseases, instead claiming that disease was "alkaline", best treated by "acids". This became a vicious "pamphlet war" between Colbatch and his supporters ( Edward Baynard and William Cole) against

William Coward William Coward (1657?–1725) was an English physician, controversial writer, and poet. He is now remembered for his sceptical writings on the soul, which Parliament condemned as blasphemous and ordered to be burned in his presence. Life He wa ...

Thomas Emes Thomas Emes (died 1707), known as "the prophet", was a quack doctor and millenarian who practiced as a surgeon among the poorer classes of England. In the hope of obtaining notoriety he allied himself with the Camisards. He died at Old Street Sq ...

and others over the acidity or alkalinity of his cures, and over whether the diseases themselves were acid or alkaline. This public disagreement in turn spawned a spate of satires concerning the so-called "Acidists and Alkalists". Colbatch was a voluminous writer, but his works were not always considered to be of the highest class, as evidenced by the following verse, which compares Colbatch to

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, who was mocked by literary enthusiasts for his short, rhyming advertisements.

Works

*''The New Light of Chirurgery''. 12mo. Lond. 1695. *''Physico-Medical Essays concerning Alkali and Acid in the case of Distempers''. 8vo. Lond. 1696. *''On the Causes, Nature, and Cure of Gout''. 8vo. Lond. 1697. *''Extraordinary Cure of the Bite of a Viper by Acids''. 8vo. Lond. 1698. *''A Collection of Tracts Chirurgical and Medical''. 8vo. Lond. 1700. *''A Scheme for Proper Methods to be taken should it please God to visit us with the Plague''. 8vo. Lond. 1721. *''Observations on the Scheme lately published''. 8vo. Lond. 1721. *''A Dissertation concerning Mistletoe, a remedy in Convulsive Distempers''. 8vo. Lond. 3rd Edition, 1723. *''Colbatch’s Legacy; or, the Family Physician''. 8vo. Lond. 1733.

References

;Attribution * This article is partly drawn fro
"John Colbatch"
, which is in the Public Domain.

External links

* *
OpenLibrary page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colbatch, John 1729 deaths Business people from Worcester, England Year of birth unknown English apothecaries Medical doctors from Worcester, England