The surgical career of Everard Home, born in 1756 in Kingston upon Hull, spanned the transition of medicine into a system of institutional observation. Educated at Westminster School, he bypassed a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, to pursue professional training under John Hunter at St George's Hospital, marking the start of a controversial tenure in anatomy and surgery.
Surgical Career and Appointments
After qualifying at Surgeons' Hall in 1778, Home held a position as assistant surgeon at the naval hospital in Plymouth. By 1787, he returned to St George's Hospital, serving as assistant surgeon before rising to the rank of surgeon. His medical status continued to grow, eventually leading to his appointment as Sergeant Surgeon to the King in 1808. In 1821, he took up a role at Chelsea Hospital, and in 1813, he was created a baronet of Well Manor in the County of Southampton.
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Home contributed significantly to anatomical literature, authoring numerous studies on human and animal subjects. He conducted early research on the platypus, documenting that the animal was not viviparous and proposing it was ovoviviparous. Additionally, he was the first to document the fossil creature found by Joseph and Mary Anning near Lyme Regis in 1812, which was later identified as an ichthyosaur. His work extended into dermatology, where he was the first to hypothesize that melanin functions as a sunscreen.
Institutional Recognition and Allegations
He held memberships in several prestigious scientific organizations, including the Royal Society and the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1787, delivered the Croonian Lecture multiple times between 1793 and 1829, and received the Copley Medal in 1807. Despite these honors, his legacy is clouded by allegations of plagiarism regarding the anatomical papers of John Hunter. It is widely documented that he destroyed many of Hunter's manuscripts after his death, an act that likely obscured the source of much of his research and caused the loss of van Leeuwenhoek's microscopes during a fire at his Chelsea Hospital residence.
Fast facts
- Born: 1756, Kingston upon Hull
- Died: 1832, London
- Educated: Westminster School
- Notable Role: Sergeant Surgeon to the King
- Key Award: Copley Medal, 1807
- Scientific Membership: Royal Society
- Son: James Everard Home
Questions readers ask
What major paleontological discovery is associated with Home?
He was the first to describe the ichthyosaur fossil discovered by Joseph and Mary Anning in 1812.
What is the primary criticism of his scientific record?
Home is accused of plagiarizing the work of his brother-in-law, John Hunter, and destroying Hunter's manuscripts to conceal the evidence.
Achievements
- Fellow of the Royal Society
- Copley Medal — 1807
- Croonian Medal and Lecture — 1801
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