HUNTER, Jonx, an eminent surgeon and author, and brother to the subject of the preceding article, was born at Long Calderwood on the 14th of July, 1728. He was about ten years old when he lost his father ; and, being the youngest child, was so much indulged by his mother, that, though sent to the grammar school in Glasgow, he made no proficiency in his studies, and, at last leaving them, lived for some time idle in the country. Tiring of this mode of life, he wrote to his brother Dr Hunter in Lon don, proposing to become his assistant in his dissections; or, if that would not suit him, to go' into the army. The doctor gave him a kind invitation to London, and he wen( up to him in September, 1748. The doctor found, on a very short trial, that he promised to become an expert dis sector; and, entertaining great hopes of him, gave him every encouragement to persevere in professional pursuits. The following summer he attended Chelsea hospital, where he learned the first rudiments of practical surgery. By the succeeding winter he had made such proficiency, that his brother left in a great measure to him the super intendence of his public dissecting room. In the follow ing summer he renewed his attendance at Chelsea hospi tal, and the summer after that he attended at St Bartholo mew's. In 1753, he entered as a gentleman commoner at St Mary's Hall, Oxford. In 1756, he was appointed house surgeon to St George's hospital, where he had attended as a pupil the two preceding summers. In 1755, he was ad mitted to a partnership in his brother's lectures. His un common dexterity in making anatomical preparations, and some distinguished discoveries which he made in anatomi cal science, gradually raised him to great celebrity. Ile traced the ramifications of the olfactory nerves on the Schneiderian membrane ; he demonstrated the mode of termination of the arteries of the uterus in the placenta ; and he was the first who discovered the lymphatic vessels of birds. By directing his labours extensively to compa rative anatomy, lie laid the foundation of his splendid ana tomical museum. These labours were not conducted with the design of exhibiting preparations of the entire bodies of different animals, but for the more purpose of il lustrating, in a regular series, the varieties of organization subservient to each function in the different classes of ani mals. He applied to the keeper of the Tower, and other persons who kept wild beasts, to procure the bodies of those that died ; and he had generally in his possession living animals of different species, for the purpose of ob serving their manners and instincts. Two anecdotes are related by his brother-in-law Sir Everard Home, that are very characteristic of his enthusiasm in this amusement. Two leopards which he kept broke loose on one occasion from their den, and the howling of his dogs in the same yard, alarmed the whole neighbourhood. Mr Hunter ran into the yard, and found one leopard scrambling over the wall, while the other was surrounded by the dogs. He without reflection seized both the leopards, and led them back into their den ; but immediately after, when he thought of the risk which lie had run, as an unlucky irritation on their part might have terminated in his immediate destruc tion, lie was so much agitated that he almost fainted away. On another occasion, while he was struggling with a young bull, a species of amusement in which he had delighted, the animal got him down on the. ground, and would have proceeded to the utmost extremities, if a person luckily coming to the spot had not rescued him.
In 1767, he was made fellow of the Royal Society, and formed a party of friends, who met at a coffee-house to discuss points of science after the meetings of the Society, which he.soon found to increase, and to consist of some of the most eminent men of the age. It contained Sir Joseph Banks, Dr Solander, Sir Charles Blagden, Sir Harry En glefield, Mr Watt of Birmingham, and sevoral others. An accident which he suffered, the rupture of the tendo achil lis of one leg, in dancing, led him to study particularly the surgical pathology of that part, which lie illustrated by ex periments on animals. In 1768, Mr Hunter went to the house which had been occupied by his brother in Jermyn street, as the latter moved to his house in Windmill-street, which lie had just completed, and adapted on an extensive scale to his learned pursuits. Mr Hunter was thus placed in a favourable situation for private practice, and he now became a member a the College of Surgeons. In May, 1771, he published his celebrated work on the natural his tory of the teeth. In the following July he married Miss Home, of whom the present Sir .Everard Home was a
younger brother. The latter was then at Westminster school, and was brought up by Mr Hunter to the incites , sion of surgery. It is to this gentleman that we are in debted for the interesting life of Mr Hunter, prefixed to a posthumous edition of his book on inflammation. Mr Hunter's progress in acquiring practice was at list slow, as he was not possessed of those winning manners, and did not study those superficial arts, by which many rise in this respect to distinction. But the weight of his character for genius and professional industry at last brought him into the highest repute. His income was greatly augmented ; but it was chiefly expended on his museum, to which he also regularly devoted his mornings, from sun-rise to the hour of breakfast. He continually laboured to turn his physiologi cal discoveries and observations to account, in improving the art of surgery. To enumerate his improvements would far exceed our limits, and they are only to be learned by perusing his valuable works. Ile always delighted in mak ing acute discoveries, and striking out new views. It is in explaining the phenomena of inflammation in its various forms, and the principles on which the healing Proccss under various circumstances is conducted, that Mr Hun ter's genius is most usefully displayed. Some of his opi nions cannot be easily admitted as well-founded ; such as his doctrine of the life of the blood, and of the identity of syphilis and gonorrheea. In the winter of 1773, he began to give lectures on surgery, in which lie delivered a full account of his practical improvements, as well as his pa thological views. His first two courses were given gratis. He continued to improve comparative anatomy by the dis section of various animals, some of which were rare and curious, such as the torpedo and the gymnotus electricus, the electrical organs of which he described. He repeatedly dissected the elephant ; he discovered those receptacles in the bodies of birds, to which the air passes through the lungs, which threw a new light on the function of respira tion, as performed by that class of animals. He engaged an artist to live with him, for the purpose of making draw ings of such parts as did not admit of being preset red. In 1776, he was appointed surgeon extraordinary to his Ma jesty. In the autumn of that year, however, he was taken dangerously ill, and began to reflect seriously on his situa tion and that of his family. As he had' expended his for tune in his museum, he was desirous of making it appear to advantage, that it might bring its value after his death. Accordingly, as soon as his health permitted, he arranged it, and made out a systematic catalogue of its contents. He afterwards regained sufficient health to prosecute his phy siological and surgical investigations ; and numerous inge nious papers, mitten by him alter this period, appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Society. In 1783, he had the honour of bein•admitted into the Royal Society of Me dicine, and the Royal Academy of Surgery, of Paris. The lease of his house in Jermyn-street having at this time ex piied, lie purchased one of a large house in Leicester Square, on which he was tempted to expend above :Ma which sum was in a great measure his family by the shortness of the lease. Here he had ample accommoda tion for his museum. The eclat which this great object gave to him, however, was very great ; and the services of his friends and the public were always readily furnished, when they could contribute to adorn it with new articles in comparative anatomy. In 1786, he published his work On the Venereal, and his Observations on certain parts of the ?inimal Economy, consisting of a collection of papers which had appeared in the Philosophical Transactions. About this time his health began to decline, and lie was obliged to re sign much of .his laborious duty to his brother-in-law Air norm: ; but we lind him still active in adding to the stuck of professional information. He wrote some physiological papers, for which he obtained the medal. In 1792, he gave up his course of lectures entirely to Mr Home. But he continued to receive splendid marks of public respect ; he was appointed inspector-general of hospitals, and surgeon general to the army ; he was made a member of the College of Surgeons of Dublin, and one of the vice-presidents of the Veterinary College, then first established in London. Ile continued to write various pa pers, which appeared in the Transactions of the Society for promoting medical and chirurgical knowledge.