Manuscript volume entitled 'Mr John Hunter's lectures on the principles of surgery'

Volume of notes in two parts, in an unknown hand, recording a course of medical lectures given by John Hunter.

Topics include physiology, diseases 'which survive from accident' (and 'those which are similar to them'), the 'union of divided parts by the first intention', inflammation and related conditions, discussion of a range of other specific diseases and a brief final section describing the author's observations of experiments primarily conducted by Hunter, but also involving Dr [George] Fordyce, Sir Jos[eph] Banks, Dr [Charles] Blagden and Dr Tillett. The experiments involved observation and manipulation of the temperature of animals (including Man), under different conditions, drawing comparisons with atmospheric temperature.

The volume is prefaced by an introduction written in the first person as though by Hunter himself , but the notes are written in another hand, and are possibly the work of one of his assistants or pupils. The front flyleaf is inscribed in ink with the name of John Badley, with notes of his birth, death and the date he started practising in Dudley 'about 1803'.

John Hunter (1728-1793) was a leading surgeon and anatomist. He began his surgical career in 1748 assisting his brother William Hunter (1718-1783), teacher of anatomy and accoucheur. After studying with William Cheselden (1688-1752) and Percivall Pott (1714-1788), he started at St George's Hospital, London, as a surgical pupil in 1754. In 1760 he joined the army as a staff surgeon gaining experience in gunshot wounds and observation of trauma, and developing what were to be life long interests in human and comparative physiology and the collection of specimens. In the early 1760s, he joined James Spence's London dental practice and began to give lectures in anatomy. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society in 1767, became a member of the Company of Surgeons and surgeon at St George's Hospital in 1768, and surgeon-extraordinary to the king in 1776. Through the 1770s his research and teaching interests expanded and it was during this time that he started lecturing on the theory and practice of surgery and began work on a series of treatises, including 'Treatise on the Blood, Inflammation and Gunshot Wounds' that was to be published after his death in 1794. He was an active participant in coffee house scientific discussion groups whose members included Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) naturalist and President of the Royal Society, 1778-1820, Sir Charles Blagden (1748-1820) and Dr George Fordyce (1736-1802) and Hunter himself founded the 'Society for the Improvement of Medical and Chirurgical Knowledge' in 1783 and the 'Lyceum Medicum Londinenses for the Advancement of Medical Knowledge' two years later. He was detailed and methodical in documenting his observations and experiments, and his rough notes would often be dictated to, or copied by, one of his assistants before being worked up for a lecture or publication. He married Anne Home (1742-1821), daughter of friend and fellow army surgeon, Robert Bayne Home, 22 July 1771. [Source: Oxford DNB Online. Available: http://www.oxforddnb.com. 19 May 2008]

Hunter's pupils included John Abernethy, William Clift, Anthony Carlisle, Edward Jenner, Astley Paston Cooper and Everard Holme. John Badley (1783-1870), FRCS, was a favourite pupil of Dr John Abernethy (1764-1831), surgeon. He studied at St Bartholomew's Hospital before practising in Dudley, West Midlands.

Sources: 'Some key events in the history of medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries'. Online. Available: http://www.thornber.net/ medicine/html/scimed.html. 15 May 2008; 'Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online'. Available: http://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/biogs/E000474b.htm. 15 May 2008.

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Transferred from the Barnes Library to the Special Collections Department in 1999

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Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Former location: Barnes MSS 1

There are a number of publications concerning the life and work of John Hunter and archival material including lecture notes, correspondence and
research notes are held by several repositories, including: the British Library, Add MS 34407; the Bodleian,