Sir John Richardson was born in Dumfries in 1787, the son of a local brewer. He was educated along with Robert Burns’ eldest son, Robert, at Dumfries Academy and the two families were close friends. Apparently Burns once speculated, “I wonder which of them will be the greatest man?”
John went on to become a famous Arctic explorer, a pioneer of natural science and founder of the system of medical care for seamen within the Royal Navy.
He trained as a doctor and joined the Royal Navy as a ship’s surgeon. He made three journeys of exploration to the Arctic Ocean and published his studies on the animals he discovered there. His work contributed to that of Charles Darwin.
His achievements in medicine were just as significant. He was made Surgeon General of the Royal Navy and introduced new systems of care which greatly improved the way that both physically and mentally ill sailors were treated. He introduced the use of anaesthetics in naval surgery. He was a close colleague of Florence Nightingale.
