Thomas Marryat M.D. (1730–1792) was an English physician, known also as a medical writer and wit.

Life

Born in London, he was the son of Zephaniah Marryat, a nonconformist minister, and was educated for the Presbyterian ministry. From 1747 until 1749 he belonged to a late-night poetical club. It met at the Robin Hood, Butcher Row,

Strand, London Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and is part of the A4 ...

, and among the members were

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, and Thomas Madox; members brought a piece of poetry, which if approved might be sent to the ''Gentleman's Magazine'' and other periodicals. It was at this club that the plan and title of the ''

Monthly Review The ''Monthly Review'', established in 1949, is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. The publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States. History Establishment Following ...

'', subsequently used by

Ralph Griffiths Ralph Griffiths (c.1720 – 28 September 1803) was an English journal editor and publisher of Welsh extraction. In 1749, he founded London's first successful literary magazine, the ''Monthly Review'' (1749–1845), and remained its editor un ...

, were brought up. Marryat gave up on the ministry, after a time at

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

and

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

, and left his family in 1760. He went to Edinburgh, where he was a medical student and graduated M.D. For a while he sought practice in London, but in 1762 made a tour of continental medical schools, and subsequently visited America, obtaining practice where he could. On his return in 1766 he resided for several years in Antrim and northern Ireland. In February 1774 Marryat moved to

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, but finally settled in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

about 1785. Here he delivered a course of lectures on therapeutics which was well attended. He had some success in practice, which dropped off, and refused assistance from relations. Marryat died on 29 May 1792, and was buried in the ground belonging to the chapel in Lewin's Mead, in Brunswick Square, Bristol. His manners were blunt, but he was considered honest, and kind, especially to the poor. More orthodox physicians took him as an

empiric Empiric can refer to: * Asclepiades of Bithynia * A person who practices quackery * Empiric school of medicine in ancient Greece and Rome * Empiric therapy Empiric therapy or empirical therapy is medical treatment or therapy based on experience an ...

. He prescribed enormous doses of drastic medicines to nonpaying patients, and, for dysentery, paper boiled in milk. The bookseller Henry Lemoine sold a "bug-water", to which Marryat lent his name.

Works

Marryat published: * ''Medical Aphorisms, or a Compendium of Physic, founded on irrefragible principles'', Ipswich, 1756 or 1757, mostly retracted later. * ''Therapeutics, or a New Practice of Physic'', which was "humbly inscribed to everybody". It was first published in Latin in 1758 and reprinted in Dublin in 1764; after which a publisher Dodd issued two spurious copies, one in Cork, dated 1770, and another in London in 1774. A fourth edition was issued at Shrewsbury, under Marryat's supervision, in 1775. A pocket edition, with the title of ''The Art of Healing'', became popular, a twentieth impression having appeared at Bristol in 1805. Prefixed to it is a life of Marryat, with his portrait engraved by Johnson, and autograph. *''The Philosophy of Masons'', heterodox and offensive to friends. Marryat also wrote verse. A new edition of his ''Sentimental Fables for the Ladies'', republished from an Irish copy, appeared at Bristol in 1791. It was dedicated to

Hannah More Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at a s ...

, and sold well.

Family

Marryat married Sarah Davy of Southwold in 1754. Among their children was

Joseph Marryat Joseph Marryat (7 October 1790 – 24 September 1876) was a British politician. The son of Joseph Marryat, he was born in Grenada, where his father owned plantations worked by slaves. He followed his father in becoming a shipowner, banker a ...

, a Member of Parliament and banker, who was father of

Frederick Marryat Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel ...

the writer.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Marryat, Thomas 1730 births 1792 deaths 18th-century English medical doctors English medical writers English Presbyterians