, M. D. the son of an eminent attorney at Dorchester in the county of Dorset,
, M. D. the son of an eminent
attorney at Dorchester in the county of Dorset, by Mary,
daughter of Robert Haynes, was born‘ March 17, 1711,
and was educated at the Charter-house (not on the foundation), whence he proceeded to Trinity-colk’ge, Cambridge, and there took his degree of B. A. with distinguished reputation. During his residence at Cambridge,
by his own inclination, in conformity with that of his parents, he applied himself to the study of divinity, with a
design to enter into holy orders; but alter some time, from
what cause we know not, he altered his plan, and applied
himself to the study of physic. In 1736 he went to Leyden, where he attended the lectures of Boerhaave, and the
professors of the other branches of medicine in that celebrated university, for the space of two years or more.
About the beginning of 1739, he returned to London,
with a view to enter on the practice of his profession, supported by a handsome allowance from his father. Why he
did not succeed in that line was easy to be accounted for
by those who knew him. He was a man of a very liberal
turn of mind, of general erudition, with a large
acquaintance among the learned of different professions, but of an
indolent, inactive disposition; he could not enter into
juntos with people that were not to his liking; nor cultivate the acquaintance to be met with at tea-tables; but
rather chose to employ his time at home in the perusal of
an ingenious author, or to spend an attic evening in a select company of men of sense and learning. In this he
resembled Dr. Armstrong, whose limited practice in his
profession was owing to the same cause. In the latter end
of 1750 he was introduced to Dr. Fothergill (by Dr. Cuming,) with a view of instituting a Medical Society, in order
to procure the earliest intelligence of every improvement
in physic from every part of Europe *. At the same period
he tells his friend, “Dr. Mead has very generously offered
to assist me with all his interest for succeeding Dr. Hall at
the (Charter-house, whose death has been for some time expected. Inspired with gratitude, I have ventured out of my element (as you will plainly perceive), and sent him an
ode.
” Dr. Tern pieman’s epitaph on lady Lucy Meyrick
(the only English copy of verses of his writing that we know of) is printed in the eighth volume of the “Select
Collection of Miscellany Poems,
” Curious Remarks and Observations in Physic, Anatomy, Chirurgery, Chemistry, Botany,
and Medicine, extracted from the History and Memoirs of
the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris;
” and the second
volume in the succeeding year. A third was promised, but
we believe never printed. It appears indeed that if he had