Whitley Stokes (physician)

Whitley Stokes (1763-1845; born in Dublin or Waterford) was an Irish physician, mathematician and physicist.[1][2]

This article is about the physician. For his grandson, the Celtic scholar, see Whitley Stokes (Celtic scholar).

Career

His father Gabriel Stokes (1732–1806) was master of Waterford endowed school and Whitney took his primary education there. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) (Scholar 1781, BA 1783, MA 1789, MB & MD 1793) and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh.[3]

In 1806 Stokes was chosen to give a course on natural history at TCD. While at TCD he was elected a Fellow (1800)[OBIT], became a Regius Professor of Medicine (1798-1811), and was Donegall Lecturer in Mathematics from 1807 to 1820.[1] He left TCD to hold the chair of medicine at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) 1819-1828. Returning to TCD he became Regius Professor of Physic (1830-1840).[1]

In 1814 he funded an English-Irish dictionary.[4]

United Irishmen Revolution

In 1798 the United Irishmen revolution broke out led by Wolfe Tone. Stokes had been a member of the Society of United Irishmen but broke with them over the issue of using arms. In spite of being defended by his colleagues, he was temporarily suspended from the TCD University Board.[1] Ever the energetic polymath, he used this time to help found both the Botanical Gardens and the Phoenix Park Zoological Gardens.

Personal Life

In 1796 Stokes married Mary Ann Picknall. They had five sons and five daughters. He was the father the physician William Stokes (1804–78) who succeeded him as Regius Professor of Physic at TCD, and through William the grandfather of Whitley Stokes the Celtic Scholar (1830–1909) and the Irish antiquarian Margaret Stokes (1832–1900).[4]

Whitley Stokes died 13 April 1845 at 16 Harcourt St.

Publications
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References
  1. Stokes, Whitley (1763–1845) by J. B. Lyons, The Dictionary of Irish Biography
  2. Dr. Whitley Stokes Library Ireland
  3. Obituary of William Stokes, M.D. The Dublin University Magazine. Vol. LXXXIV. July To December, 1874
  4. Stokes, William (1804–78) The Dictionary of Irish Biography
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