THE GREAT MUSEUMS OF BRITAIN. 65 



Sir Hans Sloane; in the latter instance, the celebrated 

 anatomist and physiologist, John Hunter. 



Sir Hans Sloane was born in 1660, and was the 

 youngest son of Alexander Sloane, a Scotchman who had 

 settled in Ireland. In his youth he suffered from ill- 

 health; but few details are known as to his early life. 

 Having determined to adopt the profession of medicine, 

 he went to London, where during four years he diligently 

 studied chemistry, botany, anatomy, physic, and the 

 other subjects which at that time constituted the curri- 

 culum for medical students. Thereafter he went abroad, 

 and attended the botanical lectures of Tournefort, a 

 celebrated French botanist, in Paris, subsequently spending 

 a year in the study of the same subject under Professor 

 Magnol of Montpellier. It is believed that he graduated 

 as doctor of medicine at Montpellier; and it is, at any- 

 rate, certain that in 1684 he returned to London, where he 

 settled down to the practice of his profession. Here he 

 started with very brilliant prospects, as he had many 

 influential friends, such as the well-known naturalists, John 

 Ray and Martin Lister, and the famous physician, Dr 

 Sydenham. One evidence of this is the fact that almost 

 immediately after his return to London he was elected a 

 Fellow of the Royal Society, which body, at that time, 

 included almost all the leading scientific workers in the 

 country. 



After little more than two years of professional life in 

 London, Sloane was offered the post of physician to the 

 Duke of Albemarle, who was then about to proceed to 

 Jamaica, of which island he had been appointed governor. 

 Sloane recognised in this offer an excellent opportunity 



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