Pickering & Chatto

The correspondence of Dr. William Hunter, 1740-1783; 2v.

The eighteenth-century physician, teacher, midwife and collector, William Hunter left his books and collections to found a museum at the University of Glasgow. His correspondence was scattered and neglected for nearly two centuries until 1967 when it was found in a box by Helen Brown Brock, a zoologist and independent scholar. This two-volume edition of Hunter's letters is clearly a labor of love. Brock has created an epistolary biography of Hunter. It reveals the life of a man at the forefront of medicine of his day. His correspondents were not only other physicians but authors such as Samuel Johnson, the actor David Garrick, the painter Joshua Reynolds and many members of the ruling class, including George III's queen, Charlotte, several of whose children Hunter delivered. The letters are extensively footnoted and put in the context of political and social events as well and medical developments. While historians of medicine are certain to find this work of interest, it will also appeal to others seeking a rounded portrait of the period. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)