Simeon Fox (or Foxe), M.D. (1568–1642) was an English physician, who became President of the

College of Physicians A college of physicians is a national or provincial organisation concerned with the practice of medicine. {{Expand list, date=February 2011 Such institutions include: * American College of Physicians * Ceylon College of Physicians * College of Phy ...

Life

He was the youngest son of

John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587), an English historian and martyrologist, was the author of '' Actes and Monuments'' (otherwise ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''), telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the su ...

, and was born in the house of the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and on 24 August 1583 was elected a scholar of

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

, where he proceeded B.A. in 1587, having become a fellow 24 August 1586. He graduated M.A. in 1591. Bishop

John Piers John Piers (Peirse) (1522/3 – 1594) was Archbishop of York between 1589 and 1594. Previous to that he had been Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Salisbury. Life He was born at South Hinksey, near Oxford, and was educated at Magdalen Colleg ...

promised him a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

, but he preferred to study medicine. After leaving college he resided for some time with Archbishop

John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

, then visited Italy, and took the degree of M.D. at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

. On his return home he engaged in military service, and was with Sir John Norris and the

Earl of Southampton Earl of Southampton was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1537 in favour of the courtier William FitzWilliam. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1542. The se ...

in Ireland and the Netherlands. In the Low Countries he is said to have been taken prisoner and detained for a time at

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Matthew Gwinne Matthew Gwinne (1558? – 1627) was an English physician. Life He was of Welsh descent, son of Edward Gwinne, grocer, and was born in London. On 28 April 1570 he entered Merchant Taylors' School. He was elected to a scholarship at St John ...

; treasurer on 3 December 1629, on

William Harvey William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and proper ...

's resignation of that office; anatomy reader, 1630; elect, 22 December 1630, in place of the late

Thomas Moundeford Thomas Moundeford M.D. (1550–1630) was an English academic and physician, President of the London College of Physicians for three periods. Life The fourth son of Sir Edmund Moundeford and his wife Bridget, daughter of Sir John Spelman of Narbo ...

; president from 1634 to 1640; consiliarius in 1641. He died at the college house at Amen Corner,

Paternoster Row Paternoster Row was a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area cal ...

, on 20 April 1642. In his will, dated 21 October 1641, proved by his nephew, Thomas Fox, he described himself as of the parish of St Martin Ludgate, London, and desired to be buried

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, near to the monument of

Thomas Linacre Thomas Linacre or Lynaker ( ; 20 October 1524) was an English humanist scholar and physician, after whom Linacre College, Oxford, and Linacre House, a boys' boarding house at The King's School, Canterbury, are named. Linacre was more of a schola ...

; bequeathing the sum of £20 to the cathedral. He was buried according to his directions on 24 April.

Legacy

He also bequeathed to the college £40, to which his nephew added another £60. In 1656 the college, on the proposition of Baldwin Hamey, voted the erection of a marble bust to his memory in the Harveian Museum; the statue was destroyed in the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

of 1666, as was his monument in St Paul's. His portrait in the college was one of two pictures rescued from the fire, but then disappeared. He attended

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also ''ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire. The current dean is Andrew Tremlett, ...

, and contributed liberally towards the erection of a monument to his memory. In Harleian MS. 416 (ff. 203b, 210, 214) are three Latin letters of Fox, two of which are addressed to his father and brother

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

respectively. The life of his father prefixed to the second volume of the 1641 edition of the '' Actes and Monuments'', long attributed to his brother Samuel, has also been assigned, on weak grounds, to Simeon himself.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Simeon 1568 births 1642 deaths 16th-century English medical doctors 17th-century English medical doctors People educated at Eton College