John White (surgeon)
| John White | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1756 Drumaran, County Fermanagh |
| Died | 20 February 1832 Worthing |
| Citizenship | British |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Fields | surgeon, zoologist, botanist |
| Institutions | Royal Navy |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | J.White R.N. |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | White |
John White (c. 1756 – 20 February 1832) was an Irish surgeon and botanical collector.
White was born at Drumaran in County Fermanagh, in the north of Ireland, about 1756, and not as stated in the Dictionary of Australian Biography and the Australian Dictionary of Biography) in Sussex, England. On 18 June 1778 John White qualified as a surgeon's mate, first rate, following examination at the Company of Surgeons in London. He entered the Royal Navy on 26 June 1778 as surgeon's mate aboard HMS Wasp. He was promoted surgeon in 1780, serving aboard HMS Irresistible until 1786 when Sir Andrew Hamond recommended him as principal naval surgeon for the voyage of the First Fleet to Australia.
In March 1787 White joined the First Fleet at Plymouth as surgeon for the convict transport Charlotte, where he found that the convicts had been living for some time on salt meat, a bad preparation for a long voyage. He succeeded in obtaining supplies of fresh meat and vegetables for them, and arranged that they should be allowed up on deck in relays to obtain fresh air. On arrival in Australia, White engaged convicted forger Thomas Barrett to engrave a silver medallion to mark the occasion. The medallion, or "Charlotte Medal", is displayed in Australia's National Maritime Museum.
In 1788 White was appointed Surgeon-General of New South Wales and organised a hospital for the new colony, somewhat hampered by a lack of medical supplies. He became interested in the native flora and fauna of the new land and investigated the potential of Australian plants for use as medicine. He observed the olfactory qualities of eucalyptus and distilled eucalyptus oil in 1788.
White wrote A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales (1790), which described many Australian species for the first time.Journal had 65 copper-plate engravings of birds, animals and plants, many of which were based on the water colour paintings of Sarah Stone, and during the next five years was translated into German and French. White was the first to describe Litoria caerulea, a species of frog endemic to Australia and New Guinea, which has several common names, including "White's tree frog". In 1792, Thomas Watling a convict artist newly arrived to the colony was appointed by the government to assist John White in the production of copies of illustrations of various plants, insects and animals. A portrait of John White, a miniature on ivory, signed by Thomas Watling and dated "N.S.Wales 1792" was sold at auction in December 2006.
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