Thomas Trotter (1760 – 1832) was a Scottish naval physician and author who was a leading medical reformer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and an ardent critic of the slave trade. Trotter was born in Melrose, Roxburghshire, and studied medicine under

Alexander Monro (secundus) Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn (22 May 1733 – 2 October 1817) was a Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator. He is typically known as or Junior to distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians o ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. His major work, the ''Medicina Nautica'', was published in 1802 and provides a detailed examination of the state of naval medicine during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

. Trotter was a champion of vaccinations for naval medical staff, and as the Navy's Physician of the Fleet he required that all naval surgeons and assistants be inoculated against

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. Influenced by his career in the Royal Navy, Trotter was also a key figure in the development of modern theories of

alcohol addiction Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

, describing habitual alcohol consumption as a 'disease of the mind'. After an extensive naval career, Trotter retired to private practice in 1802 and died in 1832.

Life

Trotter was born in Roxburghshire in 1760. He enlisted in the

at the age of nineteen and, despite a lack of medical training, was assigned the rank of surgeon's mate aboard the 74-gun ship of the line . Britain was then at war against the Dutch, French and Spanish, and Trotter saw active service during the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1781, and in the lifting of the Great Siege of Gibraltar in 1782. He was discharged from the Navy in 1783, at the conclusion of the wars.Lloyd (ed) 1965, pp.214215 Unemployed and without family or political connections, Trotter elected to sign on as surgeon aboard a Guineaman, or slaving ship, engaged in the transportation of slaves from Africa to the Caribbean. He later considered this to be the lowest point of his life, and his exposure to the misery of the slaves converted him to the anti-slavery cause. An outbreak of

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

on board also fixed his attention on the disease. Trotter pursued medical studies in Edinburgh, and graduated M.D. in 1788. During the Spanish armament of 1790, he was appointed by Vice-admiral

Robert Roddam Robert Roddam (1719 – 31 March 1808) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence. He survived to see the French Revolutionary and N ...

, to be surgeon of his flagship HMS ''Royal William'', and in 1793 was surgeon of HMS ''Vengeance'' for a voyage to the West Indies and back. In December he was appointed second physician to the Royal Hospital at

Haslar Haslar is on the south coast of England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from the Old English , meaning " hazel-landing place". It may have been named after a bank of hazel strewn on ma ...

, near Portsmouth, and in April 1794 was nominated by Lord Howe physician to the Channel fleet. In this capacity he served through the campaigns of 1794 and 1795, was present in the battle of 1 June 1794, appears to have been with

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

on 16–17 June 1795, and to have joined the fleet under Lord Bridport very shortly after the action of 23 June. When going on board one of the ships to visit a wounded officer, he was accidentally

rupture Rupture may refer to: General * Rupture (engineering), a failure of tough ductile materials loaded in tension Anatomy and medicine * Abdominal hernia, formerly referred to as "a rupture" * Achilles tendon rupture * Rupture of membranes, a "wate ...

d, and rendered incapable of further service at sea. Trotter was granted a pension; he settled in private practice at Newcastle, which he gave up, but continued to write, mostly on professional subjects. He died at Newcastle on 5 September 1832. He was twice married.

Publications

At the age of 16 Trotter wrote verses which were published in

Walter Ruddiman Walter Ruddiman (1719 – 6 June 1781) was a Scottish printer, publisher and newspaper proprietor based in Edinburgh. Born in Alvah, near Banff, in the North-East of Scotland, he was the youngest son of the farmer James Ruddiman (c. 1680 – c. ...

's ''Edinburgh Magazine'' in 1777 and 1778. His M.D. dissertation was ''De Ebrietate ejusque effectibus in corpus humanum'', published in English as ''An Essay, medical, philosophical, and chemical, on Drunkenness, and its Effects on the Human Body'' (1804; 4th edit. 1812). In England, while in private medical practice at

Wooler Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, he wrote up his notes on scurvy to order, and published them as ''Observations on the Scurvy'' (1786; 2nd edit., much enlarged, 1792). Treatment for scurvy had been demonstrated by

James Lind James Lind (4 October 1716 – 13 July 1794) was a Scottish doctor. He was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy. By conducting one of the first ever clinical trials, he developed the theory that citrus fruits cured scurvy. Lind ...

in his ''Treatise'' of 1754; Trotter corroborated Lind's thesis by extensive observations. In 1795, through Sir Gilbert Blane, the Admiralty endorsed the general use of lemon juice. Other works were: * ''A Review of the Medical Department in the British Navy, with a Method of Reform proposed'', 1790. * ''Medical and Chemical Essays, containing additional Observations on Scurvy'' ... 1795; 2nd edit. 1796. * ''Medicina Nautica: an Essay on the Diseases of Seamen'', vol. i. 1797; vol. ii. 1799; vol. iii. 1803. * ''Suspiria Oceani: a Monody on the death of Richard, Earl Howe'', 1800. * ''An essay, medical, philosophical, and chemical, on drunkenness, and its effects on the human body, 1804.'' * ''A Proposal for destroying the Fire and Choak Damps of Coal Mines'' ... 1805. This work brought two controversial replies, from Henry Dewar and "A Friend to Rational Schemes of Improvement".Durham Mining Museum, Robert L. Galloway, ''A History of Coal Mining in Great Britain'', Ch. XIV.
/ref> * ''A Second Address to the Owners and Agents of Coal Mines on destroying the Fire and Choak Damp'', 1806. * ''A View of the Nervous Temperament; being a Practical Treatise on Nervous, Bilious, Stomach, and Liver Complaints'' 1807; 2nd edit. 1808. * ''The Noble Foundling, or the Hermit of the Tweed: a Tragedy'', 1812. * ''A practicable Plan for Manning the Royal Navy ... without Impressment. Addressed to Admiral Lord Viscount Exmouth'', 1819. * ''Sea Weeds: Poems written on various occasions, chiefly during a naval life'', 1829. Trotter contributed also to the ''

European Magazine ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Re ...

'', '' Medical Journal'' and other periodicals.

References

Bibliography

External links

WorldCat page
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Trotter, Thomas 1760 births 1832 deaths 18th-century Scottish medical doctors 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 18th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish writers People from Melrose, Scottish Borders Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish abolitionists Scottish medical writers Scottish sailors Royal Navy Medical Service officers People from Wooler