Martin Lister
Encyclopedia
Martin Lister FRS was an English naturalist
and physician
.
Lister was born at Radcliffe, near Buckingham
, the son of Sir Martin Lister
MP for Brackley in the Long Parliament
and his wife Susan Temple daughter of Sir Alexander Temple. Lister was connected to a number of well known individuals. He was the nephew of both James Temple
, the regicide and also of Sir Matthew Lister, physician to Anne
, queen of James I
, and to Charles I
. He was also the uncle of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
.
Lister was educated at Melton, Leicestershire under Mr Barwick and matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge
in 1658. He graduated in 1658/9, and was elected a fellow in 1660. In 1668 he travelled to France to study as a physician and settled at York
in 1670 to practice medicine. He became Fellow of the Royal Society on 2 November 1671. He practised medicine at York until 1683, when he removed to London
. In 1684 he received the degree of M.D. at Oxford
on the recommendation of the Chancellor. In 1687 became F.R.C.P.
. He attended the Earl of Portland when he was ambassador to France in 1698. He was physician to Queen Anne from 1709 until his death.
Martin contributed numerous articles on natural history, medicine and antiquities to the Philosophical Transactions. His principal works were Historiae animalium Angliae tres tractatus (1678); Historiae Conchyliorum (1685 1692), and Conchyliorum Bivalvium (1696). As a conch
ologist he was held in high esteem, but while he recognized the similarity of fossil
mollusca to living forms, he regarded them as inorganic imitations produced in the rocks.
In 1683 he communicated to the Royal Society
(Phil. Trans., 1684), an ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries; together with tables of sands and clays, such as are chiefly found in the north parts of England. In this essay he suggested the preparation of a soil or mineral map of the country, and thereby is justly credited with being the first to realize the importance of a geological survey.
Lister bought Carlton Hall in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He died at Epsom
at the age of 72 and was buried at Clapham Church.
He was a benefactor of the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford. The ridge Dorsa Lister
on the Moon was named after him.
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and 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...
.
Life
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, the son of Sir Martin Lister
Martin Lister (MP)
Sir Martin Lister was an English farmer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648.Lister was a landowner of Radcliffe, Buckinghamshire, Thorpe Arnold, Leicestershire, and Burwell, Lincolnshire....
MP for Brackley in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
and his wife Susan Temple daughter of Sir Alexander Temple. Lister was connected to a number of well known individuals. He was the nephew of both James Temple
James Temple
James Temple was a puritan and English Civil War soldier who was convicted of the regicide of Charles I. Born in Rochester, Kent, to a well-connected gentry family, he was the second of two sons of Sir Alexander Temple, although his elder brother died in 1627...
, the regicide and also of Sir Matthew Lister, physician to Anne
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
, queen of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, and to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. He was also the uncle of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public figures...
.
Lister was educated at Melton, Leicestershire under Mr Barwick and matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in 1658. He graduated in 1658/9, and was elected a fellow in 1660. In 1668 he travelled to France to study as a physician and settled at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 1670 to practice medicine. He became Fellow of the Royal Society on 2 November 1671. He practised medicine at York until 1683, when he removed to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1684 he received the degree of M.D. at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
on the recommendation of the Chancellor. In 1687 became F.R.C.P.
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
. He attended the Earl of Portland when he was ambassador to France in 1698. He was physician to Queen Anne from 1709 until his death.
Martin contributed numerous articles on natural history, medicine and antiquities to the Philosophical Transactions. His principal works were Historiae animalium Angliae tres tractatus (1678); Historiae Conchyliorum (1685 1692), and Conchyliorum Bivalvium (1696). As a conch
Conch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
ologist he was held in high esteem, but while he recognized the similarity of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
mollusca to living forms, he regarded them as inorganic imitations produced in the rocks.
In 1683 he communicated to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(Phil. Trans., 1684), an ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries; together with tables of sands and clays, such as are chiefly found in the north parts of England. In this essay he suggested the preparation of a soil or mineral map of the country, and thereby is justly credited with being the first to realize the importance of a geological survey.
Lister bought Carlton Hall in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He died at Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
at the age of 72 and was buried at Clapham Church.
He was a benefactor of the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in Oxford. The ridge Dorsa Lister
Dorsa Lister
Dorsa Lister is a wrinkle ridge system at on the Moon, in southern Mare Serenitatis. It is 203 km in diameter and was named after Martin Lister in 1976....
on the Moon was named after him.
Publications
- Histories Animalium Angliae tres tractatus, &ct,, l678.
- Goedartii Historia Insectorum cum notis,,, 1682.
- De Fontibus medicinalibus Angliae,,, l682.
- Historiae Conchyliorum, 1685
- Exercitatio Anatomica, in qua de Cochlcis agitur,,, 1694.
- Cochlearum ct Linacum exercitatio Anatomica,,, 1695.
- Conchyliorum bivalvium utriusque aquae exercitatio Anatomica tertia,,, 1696.
- Exercitationes Medicinales, &tc,,. 1697.
- Journey to Paris, c 1699
External links
- Historiae Conchyliorum, Vol. 1 and 2 (1685) - digital facsimile, Linda Hall Library