John Sims
Encyclopedia
John Sims was an English physician and taxonomist who classified various species of plant
s.
, Kent, the son of a physician, R. C. Sims, a member of the Society of Friends who practised at Dunmow
and published An Essay on the Nature and Constitution of Man, London, 1793.
He was educated at the Quaker school in Burford, Oxfordshire, with additional instruction from his father. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, obtaining his MD in 1774. His dissertaion was "De usu aquæ frigidæ interno."
He moved to London in 1766, where he worked as a physician at the Surrey dispensary. He bought an obstetric practice in 1779, and was he was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians
. In 1780 he was appointed Physician and Man Midwife to the Charity for Delivering Poor Married Women in the own Houses. In 1817 he was called to the ill-fated childbirth of Princess Charlotte at which mother and baby died.
He was the first editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine
(1801–1826 vols. xiv–xlii) after the death of the founder, William Curtis
, and edited Annals of Botany
(1805-6) with Charles Konig
.
He was a founder member and Fellow of the Linnean Society. In Mar 1814 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
In 1825 he resigned from his medical practice and retired to Dorking
, Surrey where he died in 1831. He is buried in Fittleworth
, Sussex with his wife Agnes and their only son Courthope.
The genus name Simsia was published by Robert Brown
to honour his work. His herbarium
was purchased by George Bentham
and passed to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
.
His papers on botany include a description of the effect of moisture on Mesembryanthemum
to the Medical and Physical Journal (vol. ii. 1799), and a "Description of Amomum exscapum" to the Annals of Botany (vol. i.).
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s.
Life
He was born in CanterburyCanterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Kent, the son of a physician, R. C. Sims, a member of the Society of Friends who practised at Dunmow
Dunmow
Dunmow may refer to:*Great Dunmow, a town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England*Little Dunmow, a village located about 3 miles outside the town of Great Dunmow...
and published An Essay on the Nature and Constitution of Man, London, 1793.
He was educated at the Quaker school in Burford, Oxfordshire, with additional instruction from his father. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, obtaining his MD in 1774. His dissertaion was "De usu aquæ frigidæ interno."
He moved to London in 1766, where he worked as a physician at the Surrey dispensary. He bought an obstetric practice in 1779, and was he was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
. In 1780 he was appointed Physician and Man Midwife to the Charity for Delivering Poor Married Women in the own Houses. In 1817 he was called to the ill-fated childbirth of Princess Charlotte at which mother and baby died.
He was the first editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed, is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name Curtis's Botanical Magazine....
(1801–1826 vols. xiv–xlii) after the death of the founder, William Curtis
William Curtis
William Curtis was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire.Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural history. The publications he prepared effectively reached a wider audience than early works on the subject had intended...
, and edited Annals of Botany
Annals of Botany
Annals of Botany is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, founded in 1887, that publishes research articles, brief communications, and reviews in all areas of botany. The journal is supported and managed by Annals of Botany Company, a non-profit educational charity, and published through...
(1805-6) with Charles Konig
Charles Konig
Charles Dietrich Eberhard Konig or Karl Dietrich Eberhard König was a German naturalist.-Biography:He was born in Brunswick and educated at Göttingen. He came to England at the end of 1800 to organize the collections of Queen Charlotte. On the completion of this work he became assistant to...
.
He was a founder member and Fellow of the Linnean Society. In Mar 1814 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
In 1825 he resigned from his medical practice and retired to Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, Surrey where he died in 1831. He is buried in Fittleworth
Fittleworth
Fittleworth is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located seven kilometres west from Pulborough on the A283 road and three miles south east from Petworth. The village has an Anglican church, a primary school and one pub, the Swan...
, Sussex with his wife Agnes and their only son Courthope.
The genus name Simsia was published by Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
to honour his work. His herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
was purchased by George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
and passed to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
.
His papers on botany include a description of the effect of moisture on Mesembryanthemum
Mesembryanthemum
Mesembryanthemum is a genus of plants native to southern Africa. Many species which were formerly placed herein have since been moved into other genera such as Carpobrotus Sceletium is sometimes included here....
to the Medical and Physical Journal (vol. ii. 1799), and a "Description of Amomum exscapum" to the Annals of Botany (vol. i.).