Henry Bracken
Encyclopedia
Henry Bracken, M.D. was a writer
on farriery.
Bracken was the son of Henry Bracken of Lancaster
, and was baptised there 31 October 1697.
His early education was gained at Lancaster under Mr. Bordley and the Rev. Thomas Holmes
, and he was afterwards apprenticed to Dr. Thomas Worthington
, a physician in extensive practice at Wigan
. At the expiration of his apprenticeship
, about 1717, he went to London
, and passed a few months as a pupil at St. Thomas's Hospital. Thence he went over to Paris
to attend the Hôtel-Dieu
, and subsequently to Leyden, where he studied under Herman Boerhaave
, and took his degree of M.D., but his name is omitted from the 'Album Studiosorum Academiæ Lugd. Bat.,' printed in 1875.
On his return to London he attended the practice of Drs. Wadsworth and Plumtree, and soon began to practise on his own account at Lancaster, and before long became widely known as a surgeon and author.
About 1746 he was charged with abetting the Jacobite
rebels and thrown into prison, but was discharged without trial, there appearing to have been no ground for his arrest; indeed, he had previously rendered a service to the king by intercepting a messenger to the rebels, and sending the letters to the general of the king's forces, and for this act he had been obliged to keep out of the way of the Pretender
's followers.
He received much honour in his native town, and was twice elected mayor — in 1747-48 and 1757-58. In his method of practice as a medical man he was remarkably simple, discarding many of the usual nostrums. In private life he was liberal, generous, charitable, and popular; but his love of horse-racing, of conviviality, and of smuggling
, which he called gambling with the king, prevented him from reaping or retaining the full fruits of his success.
at the head of all veterinary writers, ancient or modern. Their dates and titles are as follows: *in 1735, an edition of Captain William Burdon's 'Gentleman's Pocket Farrier,' with notes
On the establishment of the London Medical Society, Dr. Fothergill wrote to request the literary assistance of Bracken, 'for whose abilities,' he observed, 'I have long had a great esteem, and who has laboured more successfully for the improvement of medicine than most of his contemporaries.'
Bracken died at Lancaster, 13 November 1764.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
on farriery.
Bracken was the son of Henry Bracken of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, and was baptised there 31 October 1697.
His early education was gained at Lancaster under Mr. Bordley and the Rev. Thomas Holmes
Thomas Holmes
Thomas Holmes was a mortician who is often thought of as the father of American embalming.-Childhood:He was born in New York City in 1817 to a wealthy merchant...
, and he was afterwards apprenticed to Dr. Thomas Worthington
Thomas Worthington
Thomas Worthington was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the sixth Governor of Ohio.Born in Charles Town, Virginia , Worthington moved to Ross County, Ohio in 1796. The home he eventually built just outside of Chillicothe was called Adena and happens to be the namesake of...
, a physician in extensive practice at Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
. At the expiration of his apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
, about 1717, he went 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...
, and passed a few months as a pupil at St. Thomas's Hospital. Thence he went over to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to attend the Hôtel-Dieu
Hôtel-Dieu
Hôtel-Dieu is the old name given to the principal hospital in French towns, for instance:*The Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, created in 1478...
, and subsequently to Leyden, where he studied under Herman Boerhaave
Herman Boerhaave
Herman Boerhaave was a Dutch botanist, humanist and physician of European fame. He is regarded as the founder of clinical teaching and of the modern academic hospital. His main achievement was to demonstrate the relation of symptoms to lesions...
, and took his degree of M.D., but his name is omitted from the 'Album Studiosorum Academiæ Lugd. Bat.,' printed in 1875.
On his return to London he attended the practice of Drs. Wadsworth and Plumtree, and soon began to practise on his own account at Lancaster, and before long became widely known as a surgeon and author.
About 1746 he was charged with abetting the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
rebels and thrown into prison, but was discharged without trial, there appearing to have been no ground for his arrest; indeed, he had previously rendered a service to the king by intercepting a messenger to the rebels, and sending the letters to the general of the king's forces, and for this act he had been obliged to keep out of the way of the Pretender
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
's followers.
He received much honour in his native town, and was twice elected mayor — in 1747-48 and 1757-58. In his method of practice as a medical man he was remarkably simple, discarding many of the usual nostrums. In private life he was liberal, generous, charitable, and popular; but his love of horse-racing, of conviviality, and of smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, which he called gambling with the king, prevented him from reaping or retaining the full fruits of his success.
Publications
He published several books on horses, written in a rough, unpolished style, but abounding in such sterling sense as to cause him to be placed by John LawrenceJohn Lawrence
John Lawrence may refer to:* John Lawrence , English illustrator and wood engraver* John Lawrence * John Lawrence , Irish landowner, owner of Ballymore Castle* John Lawrence a.k.a...
at the head of all veterinary writers, ancient or modern. Their dates and titles are as follows: *in 1735, an edition of Captain William Burdon's 'Gentleman's Pocket Farrier,' with notes
- in 1738, 'Farriery Improved, or a Compleat Treatise upon the Art of Farriery,' 2 vols., which went through ten or more editions *in 1742, 'The Traveller's Pocket Farrier'
- in 1751, 'A Treatise on the True Seat of Glanders in Horses, together with the Method of Cure, from the French of De la Fosse.'
- 'The Midwife's Companion,' 1737, which he dedicated to Boerhaave (it was issued with a fresh title-page in 1751)
- 'Lithiasis Anglicana; or, a Philosophical Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of the Stone and Gravel in Human Bodies,' 1739
- a translation from the French of Maitre-Jan on the eye
- some papers on smallpoxSmallpoxSmallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, &c.
On the establishment of the London Medical Society, Dr. Fothergill wrote to request the literary assistance of Bracken, 'for whose abilities,' he observed, 'I have long had a great esteem, and who has laboured more successfully for the improvement of medicine than most of his contemporaries.'
Bracken died at Lancaster, 13 November 1764.