John Ranicar Park

Born in Liverpool in 1778, he was the only son of the surgeon Henry Park. He was educated at Warrington, studied with a private tutor, spent time on the continent, and later entered Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took his M.B. in 1813 and M.D. in 1818.

His medical career was substantial as well as literary. He was licensed to practise in 1815, became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1819, served as Gulstonian lecturer in 1821, and was also a fellow of the Linnean Society. His early books included Inquiry into the Laws of Animal Life and The Pathology of Fever.

Later, his writing moved strongly toward theology. He published works on prophecy and the Book of Revelation, including A Concise Exposition of the Apocalypse, The Apocalypse Explained, and An Amicable Controversy with a Jewish Rabbi on the Messiah's Coming. Sources consulted during this search agree that he died on December 14, 1847, though one historical source gives Cheltenham as the place of death and another gives Hampstead.