Christopher Johnston
Encyclopedia
Christopher Johnston, M.D., Ph.D. (December 8, 1856 June 26, 1914) was an American
physician
and Assyriologist, a scholar of ancient Mesopotamia
.
and the discoverer of Johnston's organ
, and Sarah Lucretia Clay (1835-1879). Johnston married Madeline T. Tilghman and had a son, Benamin Johnston, and a daughter, Eliza Gates Johnston, who died young.
, where he earned three degrees: a B. Litt. in 1876, a B.A. 1878, and an M.A. in 1879. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Maryland
in 1880, practiced medicine until 1888 in Baltimore (while concurrently studying various languages), then entered Johns Hopkins
to study Assyriology and Semitics, taking the degree of Ph.D. in 1894. Johnston continued on to become a Professor of Oriental History and Archaeology at Hopkins. He published Epistolary Literature of the Assyrians and Babylonians (1896) and edited Ancient Empires of the East (1906). He was also responsible for writing the New International Encyclopedia
's chapter concerning Egyptology
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and Assyriologist, a scholar of ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
.
Personal life
He was born on December 8, 1856 in Baltimore, the son of the physician Christopher Johnston (1822-1891), a professor of surgery at the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
and the discoverer of Johnston's organ
Johnston's organ
Johnston's organ is a collection of sensory cells found in the pedicel of the antennae in the Class Insecta. Johnston's organ detects motion in the flagellum . It consists of over 200 scolopidia arrayed in a bowl shape, each of which contains a mechanosensory chordotonal neuron...
, and Sarah Lucretia Clay (1835-1879). Johnston married Madeline T. Tilghman and had a son, Benamin Johnston, and a daughter, Eliza Gates Johnston, who died young.
Studies and career
Johnston studied at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where he earned three degrees: a B. Litt. in 1876, a B.A. 1878, and an M.A. in 1879. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
in 1880, practiced medicine until 1888 in Baltimore (while concurrently studying various languages), then entered Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
to study Assyriology and Semitics, taking the degree of Ph.D. in 1894. Johnston continued on to become a Professor of Oriental History and Archaeology at Hopkins. He published Epistolary Literature of the Assyrians and Babylonians (1896) and edited Ancient Empires of the East (1906). He was also responsible for writing the New International Encyclopedia
New International Encyclopedia
The New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...
's chapter concerning Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
.