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Thomas Burnet
(1638 – 1704)
College Role:
President
Notable Achievements
Burnet was one of the founding fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and served as its president from 1696 to 1698.
He was physician to Charles II, James II, William and Mary, and Queen Anne.
Burnet was knighted sometime before 1691.
Key Publications
- Currus Iatrikus triumphalis, … ad Apollinarem laudem consequendam (1659)
- Quaestiones quatuor cardinales pro suprema Apollinari daphne consequenda (1659)
- Thesaurus medicinae (1672)
- Hippocrates contractus (1685)
Biography
Thomas Burnet was the son of Robert Burnet, an advocate in Edinburgh, and was born in 1638. Burnet followed the trend of Scots going abroad to study in this period and travelled to France to study medicine. He obtained his MD from Montpellier in 1659. His medical knowledge was primarily based on Galen and Hippocrates. Burnet returned to Edinburgh and set up a medical practice. He is named in the original charter of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1681. He was an eminent physician of his day and had a reputation that extended across Europe. Burnet’s book, Thesaurus Medicinal Practical, served as a dictionary intended for professional medical practitioners. Burnet served as a physician to Charles II, James II, William and Mary, and Anne, successfully bridging all the reigns. He died in 1704, with his son, Thomas Burnet, following in his footsteps and obtaining his MD from Leiden in 1691.
