John Hunter (AQA GCSE History)

How significant was John Hunter to medicine in Britain? - Summary

John Hunter was a significant figure in British medicine during the 18th century because he emphasised the importance of careful observation and experimentation. Hunter believed in studying how the body worked through dissections and experiments. He made significant contributions to surgery by teaching surgeons to base their treatments on evidence. For example, he encouraged surgeons to leave some gunshot wounds untreated to avoid causing more harm. Hunter also taught many young surgeons, such as Edward Jenner, in his London school. This influenced a generation of British surgeons.

However, not all of John Hunter’s ideas were accurate. For instance, his work on venereal diseases was incorrect. Despite these mistakes, Hunter’s focus on observation, experimentation, and teaching had a lasting impact on medicine. His approach helped make surgery a more scientific and respected field.

Who was John Hunter?

• John Hunter was a Scottish surgeon in the 18th century

  • He moved to London to complete his training

• Hunter became:

  • surgeon to King George III in 1776

  • Surgeon-General of the Army in 1790

What did Hunter discover?

• Hunter made some key contributions to medicine such as:

  • investigation into venereal diseases

  • the impact of gunshot wounds

  • his collection of anatomy

Investigation into venereal diseases

• Hunter believed that the same bacteria caused gonorrhoea and syphilis

• To prove this, in 1767, Hunter injected a patient with gonorrhoea

  • The patient caught both gonorrhoea and syphilis, seemingly proving Hunter's theory

  • However, the needle used to inject the patient with gonorrhoea was contaminated with syphilis

• Whilst his theory was incorrect, Hunter's work showed a desire to find out more about venereal disease

The impact of gunshot wounds

• During his time in the Army, Hunter observed many gunshot wounds

• Previously, surgeons believed that a gunshot infected the surrounding area of skin

  • Surgeons would cut around a gunshot wound to remove the infection

• Hunter disproved that gunshots infected the surrounding area. He advised surgeons:

  • not to cut around gunshot wounds

  • only use amputation as a last resort

• Hunter began developing different surgical techniques to save limbs

  • He theorised that, by restricting blood vessels, he would encourage new blood vessels to form

  • Hunter used this method to save a patient from having his lower leg amputated

His collection of anatomy

• In his lifetime, Hunter collected thousands of anatomical specimens

  • His collection included both human and animal anatomy

• Hunter used his collection to research blood circulation

  • He injected wax into blood vessels to expand them, studying how blood would flow in these structures

• Hunter also used his collection to study human teeth

  • Hunter worked with James Spence, a dentist, to perform tooth transplants

Significance of Hunter

Short-term significance

• John Hunter wrote many books on his discoveries

  • An example of this is On The Venereal Diseases (1786)

  • Hunter's books were very popular and translated into multiple languages

• However, Hunter's career and practices were controversial

  • John Hunter's anatomical specimens came from body snatching

    • Hunter paid £500 for the body of a seven-and-a-half-foot man called Charles Byrne

    • This went against Byrne's desire not to be used for medical study after his death

Long-term significance

• Hunter taught many surgeons his methods

  • He taught Edward Jenner

  • He inspired a generation of surgeons to follow his principles of:

    • careful observation

    • detailed descriptions of his findings

    • experimenting on patients

• Hunter opened an anatomy school in 1764

  • His collection of anatomy is still available to view today at the Hunterian Museum