Editing John Radcliffe (physician, born 1650)

{{Short description|English physician, academic and politician (1650–1714)}}
{{For|other similarly named people|John Radcliffe (disambiguation){{!}}John Radcliffe}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = John Radcliffe
| birthname = John Radcliffe
| honorific-suffix = 
| image = John Radcliffe.jpg
| birth_date = 1650
| birth_place = [[Wakefield]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire]], [[Kingdom of England|England]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1714|11|01|1650}}
| alma_mater = [[University College, Oxford]], [[Lincoln College, Oxford]]
| office = [[Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Bramber]]
| monarch = [[William III of England|William III]]
| term_start = 20 March 1690<ref name="History 1690">{{cite web|title=The History of Parliament, 1690|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/parliament/1690|website=historyofparliamentonline.org|publisher=The History of Parliament Trust|access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref> 
| term_end = 11 October 1695<ref name="History 1690"/>
| predecessor = [[John Alford (MP)|John Alford]]
| successor = [[Nicholas Barbon]] with William Stringer
| office1 = [[Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Buckingham]]
| monarch1 = [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne I]]
| term_start1 = 12 November 1713<ref name="History 1713">{{cite web|title=The History of Parliament, 1713|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/parliament/1713|publisher=The History of Parliament Trust|access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref>
| term_end1 = 1 November 1714<ref name="Bio">{{cite web|title=RADCLIFFE, John (1653–1714), of Wolverton, Bucks., and Carshalton, Surr.|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/radcliffe-john-1653-1714#biography|publisher=The History of Parliament Trust|access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref>
| predecessor1 = Thomas Chapman
| successor1 = [[Alexander Denton (judge)|Alexander Denton]] and [[Abraham Stanyan]]
| nationality = English
| spouse =
| children =
| party = [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]]
}}

'''John Radcliffe''' (1650 – 1 November 1714<ref name="Bio"/>) was an English physician, academic and politician. A number of landmark buildings in [[Oxford]], including the [[Radcliffe Camera]] (in [[Radcliffe Square]]), the [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], the [[Radcliffe Science Library]],<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Radcliffe Science Library and Collections |url=https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/science/about/rsl_history |website=Bodleian Libraries |access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref> Radcliffe Primary Care and the [[Radcliffe Observatory]] were named after him. The [[John Radcliffe Hospital]], a large [[tertiary hospital]] in [[Headington, Oxford|Headington]], is also named after him.

==Life==
Radcliffe was born the son of George Radcliffe and Anne Loader, in [[Wakefield]], Yorkshire, where he was baptised on 1 May 1650.<ref>{{cite ODNB|last=Martensen|first=Robert L.|date=23 September 2004|orig-year=2004|id=22985|title=Radcliffe, John (bap. 1650...)}}</ref> He was educated at [[Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield]] and [[Northallerton Grammar School]] and graduated from the [[University of Oxford]], where he was an [[exhibitioner]] at [[University College, Oxford|University College]] tutored by [[Obadiah Walker]], to become a Fellow of [[Lincoln College, Oxford|Lincoln College]]. He obtained his MD in 1682 and moved to London shortly afterwards. There he enjoyed great popularity and became royal physician to [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II of England|Mary II]].

In 1690 he was elected Member of Parliament for [[Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)|Bramber, Sussex]]<ref name="History 1690"/> and in 1713 member for [[Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Buckingham]].<ref name="History 1713"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/radcliffe-john-1653-1714| title = History of Parliament| publisher = History of Parliament Trust| access-date = 10 November 2011}}</ref>

On his death in the following year, his property was bequeathed to various charitable causes, including [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]], London and [[University College, Oxford]], where the [[Radcliffe Quad]] is named after him. The charitable trust founded by his will of 13 September 1714 still operates as a registered charity.<ref>{{EW charity|209212|Dr Radcliffe's Trust}}</ref>

==Anecdotes of Radcliffe==
1. Among the many singularities related of Radcliffe, it has been noticed that, when he was in a convivial party, he was unwilling to leave it, even though sent for by persons of the highest distinction. Whilst he was thus deeply engaged at a tavern, he was called on by a grenadier, who desired his immediate attendance on his ''colonel''; but no entreaties could prevail on the physician to postpone his revelry.

:"Sir," the soldier was quoted as saying, "my orders are to bring you to the boss." And being a very powerful man, he took him up in his arms, and carried him off per force. He had betrayed his loyal friend. After traversing some dirty lanes, the doctor and his escort arrived at a narrow alley.
:"What the Devil is all this," said Radcliffe, "your colonel doesn't live here?"
:"No," said his military friend, "my colonel does not live here – but my comrade does, and he's worth two of the colonel, so by God, doctor, if you don't do your best for ''him'', it will be the worst for ''you!''"<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/1/3/3/11330/11330-h/11330-h.htm |title=The Selector; and literary notices of new works. Anecdotes of the Faculty. |work=The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction |publisher= Project Gutenberg |page=204 |date=22 September 1827}}</ref>

2. To confer medical authority upon themselves, doctors of the day often published their theories, clinical findings, and pharmacopoeia (collections of "receipts" or prescriptions). Radcliffe, however, not only wrote little but also took a certain iconoclastic pride in having read little, remarking once of some vials of herbs and a skeleton in his study: “This is Radcliffe’s library.” However, he bequeathed a substantial sum of money to Oxford for the founding of the [[Radcliffe Camera|Radcliffe Library]], an endowment which, [[Samuel Garth]] quipped, was "about as logical as if a eunuch should found a [[seraglio]]."<ref>Otto L. Bettmann, A Pictorial History of Medicine (Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1956), 192.</ref>

3. Physician to King William III until 1699, when Radcliffe offended the King by remarking "Why truly, I would not have your Majesty's two legs for your three kingdoms."

== Medical institutions named after Radcliffe ==
The [[John Radcliffe Hospital]] in Oxford is named after John Radcliffe, as was the former [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], now being redeveloped for academic use by Oxford University as the [[Radcliffe Observatory Quarter]].

==Works==
* '''''Pharmacopoeia Radcliffeana''': or, Dr. Radcliff's Prescriptions, Faithfully gather'd from his Original Recipie's To which are annex'd, Useful Observations upon each Prescription. The Second Edition Corrected.'' . Rivington, London 2nd Ed. by [[Edward Strother]] '''1716''' [https://books.google.com/books?id=RBNgAAAAcAAJ Free EBook] digitized by [[Google]]
* '''''Pharmacopoeiae Radcliffeanae Pars Altera''': Or, The Second and Last Part of Dr. Radcliff's Prescriptions, with useful Observations, &c. To which is annex'd, An Appendix, Containing a Body of Prescriptions, answering the Intentions requir'd in all Diseases Internal and External, with useful Cautions subjoin'd to each Head, and a complete Index to the Whole. Being a Work of General Use to all Physicians, Apothecaries, and Surgeons.'' . Rivington, London. by [[Edward Strother]] '''1716''' [https://books.google.com/books?id=gapdAAAAcAAJ Free EBook] digitized by [[Google]]
* ''Dr. Radcliffe's practical dispensatory : containing a complete body of prescriptions, fitted for all diseases, internal and external, digested under proper heads'' . Rivington, London 4th Ed. by Edward Strother '''1721''' [http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:061:2-8605 Digital edition] by the [[University and State Library Düsseldorf]]

== Further reading ==
* Hone, Campbell R. (1950) ''The Life of Dr. John Radcliffe, 1652–1714, Benefactor of the University of Oxford''. London: [[Faber and Faber]].
* Guest, Ivor (1991) ''Dr John Radcliffe and His Trust''. London: The Radcliffe Trust, 595 pages {{ISBN|0-9502482-1-5}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[John Alford (MP)|John Alford]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)|Bramber]]
 | with = [[Nicholas Barbon]] 1690–1695}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nicholas Barbon]]<br /><small>with William Stringer 1695–1698</small>|years=1690–1698}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham|Sir Richard Temple, 4th Bt]]<br />[[Thomas Chapman (MP)|Thomas Chapman]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Buckingham]]
 | with = [[Thomas Chapman (MP)|Thomas Chapman]] |years=[[1713 British general election|1713]]–1714 }} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Alexander Denton (judge)|Alexander Denton]] <br/> [[Abraham Stanyan]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radcliffe, John}}
[[Category:1650 births]]
[[Category:1714 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Wakefield]]
[[Category:People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College, Oxford]]
[[Category:British MPs 1713–1715]]
[[Category:17th-century English medical doctors]]
[[Category:18th-century English medical doctors]]
[[Category:English philanthropists]]
[[Category:Fellows of Lincoln College, Oxford]]
[[Category:English MPs 1690–1695]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:People associated with University College, Oxford]]<!-- as a major benefactor -->