Sir John Richardson was born in Dumfries in 1787, the son of a
local brewer. He was educated along with Robert Burns' eldest son,
Robert, at Dumfries Academy and the two families were close
friends. Apparently Burns once speculated, "I wonder which of them
will be the greatest man?"
John went on to become a famous Arctic explorer, a pioneer of
natural science and founder of the system of medical care for
seamen within the Royal Navy.
He trained as a doctor and joined the Royal Navy as a ship's
surgeon. He made three journeys of exploration to the Arctic Ocean
and published his studies on the animals he discovered there. His
work contributed to that of Charles Darwin.
His achievements in medicine were just as significant. He was
made Surgeon General of the Royal Navy and introduced new systems
of care which greatly improved the way that both physically and
mentally ill sailors were treated. He introduced the use of
anaesthetics in naval surgery. He was a close colleague of Florence
Nightingale.