John Elliot (scientist and physician)
Encyclopedia
John Elliot MD
(1747 – 22 July 1787) was a physician and scientist in eighteenth-century London
who was the first person to conjecture that different parts of the retina
respond to particular colours of light. However, he was obsessed with Mary Boydell, daughter of the publisher John Boydell
, and in 1787 was arrested for attempting to murder her. Although acquitted of attempted murder, he starved himself to death while awaiting trial for assault in Newgate Gaol.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(1747 – 22 July 1787) was a physician and scientist in eighteenth-century London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
who was the first person to conjecture that different parts of the retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
respond to particular colours of light. However, he was obsessed with Mary Boydell, daughter of the publisher John Boydell
John Boydell
John Boydell was an 18th-century British publisher noted for his reproductions of engravings. He helped alter the trade imbalance between Britain and France in engravings and initiated a British tradition in the art form...
, and in 1787 was arrested for attempting to murder her. Although acquitted of attempted murder, he starved himself to death while awaiting trial for assault in Newgate Gaol.