Thomas Thomson (1817-1878)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Thomson was a Scottish surgeon
with the British East India Company
before becoming a botanist. He was a friend of Joseph Dalton Hooker
and helped write the first volume of Flora Indica.
He was born in Glasgow the son of Thomas Thomson, chemistry professor at Glasgow University. He became Superintendent of the Honourable East India Company's Botanic Garden at Calcutta
and was the Naturalist to and Member of the Tibet Mission. He was also a Surgeon in the Bengal Army
. He died in Calcutta, India, on the 18th of April 1878.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
with the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
before becoming a botanist. He was a friend of Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
and helped write the first volume of Flora Indica.
He was born in Glasgow the son of Thomas Thomson, chemistry professor at Glasgow University. He became Superintendent of the Honourable East India Company's Botanic Garden at Calcutta
Indian Botanical Gardens
The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden is situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata. They are commonly known as the Calcutta Botanical Garden, and previously as the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta...
and was the Naturalist to and Member of the Tibet Mission. He was also a Surgeon in the Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
. He died in Calcutta, India, on the 18th of April 1878.