“L” is for Lining, John (1708-1760). Physician, scientist. A native of Scotland, Lining studied medicine in Scotland and probably at Leyden University in the Netherlands. He immigrated to Charleston in 1728 and established a successful medical practice. In 1737 Lining began making careful meteorological observations using a barometer, thermometer, and hygroscope. He kept records for fifteen years and published some of his results in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. His most significant work was “A Description of American Yellow Fever,” published in Edinburgh in 1756. In this essay he presented a clear, detailed clinical description of the disease’s symptoms, course, and prognosis. He argued that it was imported from outside, usually from the West Indies. John Lining was also an avid botanist and collected and sent many plant specimens to scientists at Edinburgh University.
“L” is for Lining, John (1708-1760). Physician, scientist.
