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Sir James Clark was born at Cullen in Banffshire in December 1788, 

 and was educated at the parish school of Fordyce, and subsequently at the 

 University of Aberdeen. In 1806 he entered a writer's (solicitor's) office 

 at Banff; but, not liking the law, he was given the choice of the Church, 

 with the promise of a ministry, or the profession of medicine. He chose 

 the latter calling, and proceeded to Edinburgh. In 1809 he passed at the 

 College of Surgeons, and then entered the medical service of the navy. 

 He served at Haslar Hospital till July 1810, when he was sent to sea as 

 Assistant-Surgeon in the schooner ' Thistle,' which was going with des- 

 patches to New York. The ' Thistle ' was wrecked, with the loss of 

 several of her crew, on the coast of New Jersey, and the survivors lost 

 everything they possessed, and suffered great privations. On returning 

 to England he was promoted to the rank of surgeon, and joined the 

 ' Collobree.' It is remarkable that this vessel was also wrecked on the 

 American coast. He was then appointed to the ' Chesapeake,' which had 

 been recently taken by Sir Philip Broke, in his famous action, and served 

 in her until 1814, when he was transferred to the ' Maidstone.' In this 

 ship he met with and formed a strong friendship for Lieutenant (after- 

 wards Sir Edward) Parry, the celebrated Arctic navigator, and made, in 

 conjunction with him, a series of experiments on the temperature of the 

 Gulf-stream. During his service in the navy his attention appears to 

 have been strongly directed to the question of climate, and the few notes 

 he has left of this period of his life chiefly refer to observations he made 

 on this subject, and to the hygienic conditions influencing the health of the 

 men under his charge. 



In 1815 the 'Maidstone ' returned to England to be paid off, and Sir 

 James Clark was placed on half pay. In 1816 he went to Edinburgh, 

 where he attended the University Classes, and graduated as M.D. in 1817. 



In 1818 he was asked to accompany a gentleman far advanced in con- 

 sumption to the south of France. He went with his patient to Marseilles, 

 Hyeres, Nice, and Florence, during the winter and spring, and in the 

 summer to Lausanne. It was owing to this charge that his attention was 

 especially drawn to the effect of climate on consumption, and that he com- 

 menced the collection of meteorological and climatic data, with a view of 

 studying their influence on that disease. 



In 1819 he settled in Rome, where English families were beginning to 

 congregate, and remained there until 1826, when he removed to London. 



During his residence at Home he spent the summers in visiting the 

 medical schools and the watering-places of Italy, France, and Germany, and 

 continued his studies on climate. In 1820 he published a small work, 

 entitled " Notes on Climate, Diseases, Hospitals, and Medical Schools in 

 France, Italy, and Switzerland," which formed the foundation of a subse- 

 quent larger work on the ' Sanative Influence of Climate.' In the same 

 year he was married to Miss Stephen, the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Stephen, 

 Rector of Nassau, and Chaplain to the Forces at New Providence. In 



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