author
William Wagstaffe
1685–1725
An early 18th-century British physician, he is remembered both for his medical career and for writings that mix professional learning with a sharp, lively voice. His short life still left a clear mark in the world of medicine and letters.
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About the author
Born in 1685 in Cublington, Buckinghamshire, William Wagstaffe was the son of the local rector and was educated at Northampton before entering Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1701. He took his B.A. in 1704 and his M.A. in 1707, then moved into medical practice in London.
He built a respected career as a physician, becoming associated with St Bartholomew's Hospital and later being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He also wrote on medical subjects, and sources about him consistently note his learning and wit, which helped preserve his reputation beyond his professional work alone.
Wagstaffe died on May 5, 1725, at Bath, still relatively young. Though not a household name now, he stands as one of those early modern figures whose life joined scholarship, medicine, and authorship in a way that still feels vivid today.