John Fergus (scholar)
Encyclopedia
Dr. John Fergus, Irish
physician
and man of letters, c.1700 – c.1761.
A descendant of the Ó Fearghuis
medical family of Connacht
, Doctor Fergus a native of County Mayo
but moved to Dublin city early in his adult life.
He was a scribe, and book collector, as well as a member of the Ó Neachtáin literary circle in early 18th century Dublin. He amassed a huge library of Irish manuscripts, which included the Liber Flavus Fergusiorum, a medical text created by his ancestors in the 14th century.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
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 man of letters, c.1700 – c.1761.
A descendant of the Ó Fearghuis
Ó Fearghuis
Ó Fearghuis was the name of a Gaelic-Irish medical family from Connacht. The surname is now generally rendered as Fergus.The family were originally based at Roscam, in Clann Fhergail . In the 13th century they seem to have removed to north Connacht, to what would later become County Mayo...
medical family of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, Doctor Fergus a native of County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
but moved to Dublin city early in his adult life.
He was a scribe, and book collector, as well as a member of the Ó Neachtáin literary circle in early 18th century Dublin. He amassed a huge library of Irish manuscripts, which included the Liber Flavus Fergusiorum, a medical text created by his ancestors in the 14th century.
Sources
- John Fergus MD: Eighteenth-century Doctor, Book Collector and Irish Scholar, by Diarmaid O Cathain, in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of IrelandRoyal Society of Antiquaries of IrelandThe Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are 'to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, language, literature and history of Ireland'. ...
,, pp.139–163, volume 118, 1988.