John Hunter (5) (1728–1793)

John Hunter was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, the younger brother of William Hunter. After the death of his father when he was 13 years old, he dropped out of school. Over the next six years, he lived at home and spent some time with his brother-in-law, a timber merchant and carpenter in Glasgow, where he became skilled with using hand tools. In 1748, at age 20, he went to London to assist with dissections for the anatomy courses taught by his older brother William Hunter. In 1749-1750, he studied surgery with William Cheselden at Chelsea Hospital. He never attended university, and -- as was common for surgeons in the 18th century-- learned by observing and performing operations. He was elected surgeon at St. George's Hospital in 1758 and taught there from 1768. In 1760, Hunter was commissioned as an army surgeon. He returned to London in 1763, and continued in private practice until his death. He began giving his own private lectures on the principles and practice of surgery in the early 1770s. In 1776, he was named surgeon extraordinary to King George III.

John Hunter is considered one of the greatest anatomists of all time and the founder of experimental pathology in the UK. He not only made important advances in the practice of surgery, but also helped to establish surgery as a scientific profession based on sound biological principles. He wrote The Natural History of the Human Teeth (1771), A Treatise on the Venereal Disease (1786), and Observations on Certain Parts of the Animal Oeconomy (1786). His book A Treatise on the Blood, Inflammation, and Gun-shot Wounds was published posthumously in 1794.