John Hunter (1728–1793) did not have an especially promising start to his academic life. He was born the youngest of 10 children to a family living in the countryside near Glasgow. They lived in a two bedroom cottage and the children slept in box beds that were pulled out of the walls every night. He was stubborn, hated school, did not like to be taught reading or writing, would skip classes whenever he could, and quit formal education altogether at 13, the same year his father died. He said that he “totally rejected books,” instead preferring to gain practical knowledge first hand. He spent his time helping with the family farm. When he was 20, he made the fateful decision to join his brother William Hunter's anatomy school in London as an assistant. He went on to discover that
Excellent piece! It made me realize that Cooper doesn't receive proper credit, including from me. I'm going to read his book -- thanks for the link to it. The information about Hunter was also fascinating.
Excellent piece! It made me realize that Cooper doesn't receive proper credit, including from me. I'm going to read his book -- thanks for the link to it. The information about Hunter was also fascinating.