author
John Gregory
1724–1773
A Scottish physician and moral writer of the Enlightenment, he is remembered for bringing sympathy, judgment, and professional duty together in his thinking about medicine. His work helped shape early ideas of medical ethics while also reaching general readers through essays on character and conduct.
1 Audiobook
A Father's Legacy to His Daughters
by John Gregory
About the author
Born in Aberdeen on June 3, 1724, John Gregory came from a notably scholarly family: his father was a professor of medicine, and his grandfather was the mathematician James Gregory. He studied at King's College, Aberdeen, then at the University of Edinburgh and Leiden, before building a career as a physician.
Gregory became known not only for medical practice and teaching, but also for writing that connected medicine with moral philosophy. He served as professor of the practice of medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and his lectures and books argued that a good doctor needed humanity and integrity as much as technical skill.
He died on February 9, 1773. Today he is often remembered as an important early voice in medical ethics, and as a graceful eighteenth-century writer whose work reflects the values and debates of the Scottish Enlightenment.