author
Walter Oudney
1790–1824
A Scottish doctor and naturalist, he is remembered for joining one of the early nineteenth century expeditions into the interior of North Africa. His short life combined medicine, science, and exploration, ending during the journey that made his name known.
1 Audiobook
Narrative of travels and discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824
by Dixon Denham, Hugh Clapperton, Walter Oudney
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in December 1790, Walter Oudney trained in medicine and served in the Royal Navy before earning his M.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1817. He developed a strong interest in natural history as well as medicine, which shaped the rest of his career.
A few years later, he was appointed by the British government to travel to the kingdom of Bornu as part of an expedition connected with trade and exploration. Traveling with Hugh Clapperton and others, he crossed the Sahara and recorded observations on the lands, peoples, and plants he encountered. That blend of careful scientific interest and first-hand travel experience is what gives his writing its lasting value.
Oudney's health failed during the expedition, and he died near Katagum on January 12, 1824, while still in Africa. Although his life was brief, he is remembered as a physician-explorer whose work belongs to an important early chapter in European exploration of the region.