Lawrence Bohun

Doctor
Lawrence Bohun
Physician General of Virginia[1]
BornBetween 1575 and 1585
Kingdom of England
Died1621 (aged 35–36)
West Indies
Cause of deathSpanish raiders
NationalityEnglish
Other namesLinis Boone,[2] Bohunne,[3]
OccupationPhysician
SpouseAlice Barnes

Lawrence Bohun (born between 1575 and 1585, d. 1621) was an English physician and member of the Virginia Governor's Council. His surname is occasionally spelled "Bohune" or "Boone" and he is known for experimenting with some of Virginia's indigenous plants and minerals.[4] He is sometimes credited with being the first experimental scientist in Jamestown and one of its first physicians.[5][6]

Not much is known about Bohun's early life, but it is estimated that he was born in England between 1575 and 1585 and that he received his education at the University of Leyden in the Netherlands.[7] Bohun had a reputation for being an excellent physician[citation needed] and was hired to perform as the personal physician for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, who was the first governor of Virginia appointed by the Virginia Company of London.[8][9] He arrived in Virginia on 10 June 1610, which enabled him to help with colonists that had survived the Starving Time of that prior winter.[10] While living in Virginia, Bohun also worked on creating wine.[11]

When De La Warr left Virginia the following year in order to recuperate from a bout of scurvy, Bohun accompanied him on the trip.[12] They eventually ended in England, where Bohun practiced medicine and married Alice Barnes.[13] During this time Bohun was active with the Virginia Company, as he was listed as a sharecropper in their third charter and was approved for two grants for Virginia land. Bohun was interested in seeing if silkworms could be cultivated in Virginia, which was evidently unsuccessful as records from the Virginia Company stated that he had a project (presumably the silkworms) that "promised much benefitt but in the end came to nothinge."[13]

Bohun was appointed the Physician General of the Virginia colony in 1620 and was also appointed to the Governor's Council, but he would never make it to Virginia to carry out his responsibilities.[14] In 1621, while stopping in the West Indies for supplies, Bohun's ship was attacked by Spanish warships and he was one of several people that died on 19 March 1621.

References

  1. ^ The Boone Family: A Genealogical History of the Descendants of George and Mary Boone, who Came to America in 1717 : Containing Many Unpublished Bits of Early Kentucky History : Also a Biographical Sketch of Daniel Boone, the Pioneer, by One of His Descendants. United States, Tuttle Company, 1922.
  2. ^ The Boone Family: A Genealogical History of the Descendants of George and Mary Boone, who Came to America in 1717 : Containing Many Unpublished Bits of Early Kentucky History : Also a Biographical Sketch of Daniel Boone, the Pioneer, by One of His Descendants. United States, Tuttle Company, 1922.
  3. ^ McCartney, Martha W.. Documentary History of Jamestown Island: Biographies of owners and residents. United States, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2000.
  4. ^ Dary, David (2008). Frontier Medicine. Knopf. pp. 18. ISBN 9780307270313. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Lawrence Bohun.
  5. ^ Wright, Louis B. (2002). The Cultural Life of the American Colonies. Dover Publications. p. 219. ISBN 9780486422237. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. ^ Duffy, John. From Humors to Medical Science: A History of American Medicine By John Duffy. University of Illinois Press. 1993. p. 9. ISBN 9780252063008. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  7. ^ Gill, Harold B. (1972). The Apothecary in Colonial Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9780879350017. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Lawrence Bohun.
  8. ^ Billings, Warren M. "Thomas West, twelfth baron De La Warr (1576–1618)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  9. ^ Hughes, Thomas P. (1957). MEDICINE IN VIRGINIA, 1607-1699. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  10. ^ The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 14. William and Mary. 1906. p. 97. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  11. ^ Woodward, Hobson (2009). A Brave Vessel: The True Tale of the Castaways Who Rescued Jamestown. Penguin. ISBN 9781101060322. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  12. ^ Toner, Joseph (1874). Medical Progress and Education: Before and during the war of Independence. Applewood Books. p. 8. ISBN 9781429043823. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b Gentry, Daphne. "Lawrence Bohun (d. 1621)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  14. ^ Gill, Harold B. (1972). The Apothecary in Colonial Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation/University Press of Virginia. p. 17. ISBN 0879350016. Retrieved 19 August 2015.