John Latham (ornithologist)
| John Latham | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 June 1740 Eltham |
| Died | 4 February 1837 (aged 96) Winchester |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields | Ornithology |
| Known for | A General Synopsis of Birds |
| Notable awards | FRS |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Latham |
John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. Latham has been called the "grandfather" of Australian ornithology. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds which reached England in the last twenty years of the 18th century, and was responsible for naming many of them. These included the emu, sulphur-crested cockatoo, wedge-tailed eagle, superb lyrebird and Australian magpie. He was also the first to describe the hyacinth macaw.
John Latham was born on 27 June 1740 at Eltham in south east London. He was the eldest son of John Latham (d.1788), a surgeon there, and his mother who was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire.
He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and then studied anatomy under William Hunter and completed his medical education in London hospitals. In 1763 at the age of 23 he began working as a physician in the village of Darenth, near Dartford in Kent. In the same year he married Ann Porter. They had four children of whom a son John (1769-1822) and a daughter Ann (1772-1835) survived childhood.
Latham retired from his medical practice aged 56 in 1796 and moved to live near his son at Romsey in Hampshire. His wife died in 1798 and Latham remarried the same year to Ann Delamott. His son who had invested in a series of inns became heavily indebted and was declared bankrupt in 1817. Latham lost much of his wealth in supporting his son. In 1819 Latham sold his house in Romsey and moved with his wife to live with his daughter's family in Winchester. His second wife died in 1821 and then in the following year his son committed suicide.
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