William Douglass

Background

Douglass was born c. 1691, in the town of Gifford, Scotland, the second child of George Douglass, "portioner" of Gifford and factor for the Marquis of Tweeddale.

Education

Douglass apparently received a liberal education, for he was familiar with Greek, Latin, Dutch, French, and English, and was known to have studied medicine at Edinburgh, Leyden, and Paris.

Douglass came under the influence of Pitcairn, the leading physician of Scotland in his day, and was at Leyden during the supremacy of Boerhaave. In his writings he refers to himself as a medical graduate, but whether he received his degree from Edinburgh or Leyden is not known.

Career

After a trip to the West Indies, Douglass settled in Boston in 1718. He was first heard of in the colony in connection with the inoculation controversy. Early in the summer of 1721 a severe epidemic of smallpox broke out in Boston, and Zabdiel Boylston was prevailed upon by Cotton Mather to carry out inoculations for smallpox during the epidemic. Douglass disapproved strongly of the practice and was the more concerned since he had, "sometime before the small-pox arrived, lent to a credulous vain Preacher, Mather, Jr. , the Philosophical Transactions Nos. 339 and 377 which contain Timonius' and Pylermus' account of Inoculation from the Levant. " Douglass held that inoculation might spread smallpox, and he accordingly published a series of four controversial "inoculation" pamphlets, three of which were anonymous. In 1751, when he finally became convinced of the value of the procedure, he wrote, "The novel practice of procuring the small-pox by inoculation, is a very considerable and most beneficial improvement in that article of medical Practice. "

His chief claim to recognition as a physician rests on his masterly description of an epidemic of scarlet fever, The practical History of a New Epidemical Eruptive Miliary Fever in Boston New England in the Years 1735 and 1736 (1736). From his account it is clear that this was a genuine epidemic of scarlet fever, and is indeed the first adequate clinical description of the disease, for it antedates that of John Fothergill by twelve years. Douglass described fully the eruption and desquamation, and spoke of the greater susceptibility of children and young persons. He moreover carried out necropsies on individuals dead of the disease. He possessed a large library, recorded observations upon the weather and the variations of the needle of the compass, collected plants, and in 1743 published an almanac (Mercurius Nov-Anglicanus by "William Nadir"). He also wrote, A Summary, Historical and Political, of the First Planting, Progressive Improvements and Present State of the British Settlements in North America, and a treatise on economics entitled, A Discourse Concerning the Currencies of the British Plantations in America, etc. (London, 1739). The Summary, which was written at odd times stolen from his professional work, was often based upon hearsay and tradition since but few documented sources were available to him, and it is therefore marred by many inaccuracies, but it contains a great mass of information on a variety of subjects and is an important source book of early colonial history.

In his Discourse Douglass showed a sound grasp of the principles of exchange, a clear understanding of Gresham's law, and he stated in no uncertain terms that the colony must adhere to the "universal commercial medium" if it is to have dealings with foreign nations. Douglass was highly esteemed in the colony and had a large medical practice. He died on October 21, 1752, in Boston.

Achievements

• Douglass is best known for his account of the scarlet fever in 1735 and 1736, which has been called one of the most valuable essays up to that time, and the first adequate description of scarlet fever in English.

Works

More photos

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  • The Abuses and Scandals of Some Late Pamphlets in Favour of Inoculation of the Small Pox: Modestly Obviated, and Inoculation Further Consider'd in a ... And F. R. S. In London (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from The Abuses and Scandals of Some Late Pamphle...)

  • A dissertation concerning inoculation of the small-pox. Giving some account of the rise, progress, success, advantages and disadvantages of receiving ... by sundry cases of the inoculated.

    ( The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration...)

  • Inoculation of the Small Pox As Practised in Boston: Consider'd in a Letter to A-- S-- M.D. & F.R.S. in London. : Three Lines from Hudibras

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Some historical remarks on the city of St. Andrews in North-Britain: With a particular account of the ruinous condition of the harbour ... and of what ... to all concern'd in trade and navigation

    (This is a reproduction of a classic text optimised for ki...)

Personality

Douglass was versatile and a man of wide interests. Being a person of strong prejudices he had enemies, but from the records which have come down to us he appears to have been well regarded by all the better educated people of Boston. Adam Smith called him "the honest and downright Dr. Douglass. "

Connections

Father:

George Douglass

References

• The Philadelphia Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences, 1822, Vol. 5: Supported by an Association of Physicians (Classic Reprint)
• Life and writings of William Douglass, M.D. (1691-1752): With a reproduction of The practical history of a new epidemical eruptive miliary fever, with ... years 1735 and 1736, by William Douglass, M.D
• Seeds of Discontent: The Deep Roots of the American Revolution, 1650-1750
• History Of The Town Of Douglas, Massachusetts: From The Earliest Period To The Close Of 1878 (1879)
• A Memoir of Henry Jacob Bigelow