John Crawford (physician) dating history

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John Crawford (3 May 1746 – 9 May 1813), an introducer of vaccination into America and investigator into the cause of disease, was born in the north of Ireland May 3, 1746. He was the second of four sons of a Protestant clergyman, all of whom became professional men, his brother Adair being physician to St. Thomas' Hospital, London, and professor of chemistry at Woolwich. At seventeen he entered Trinity College Dublin, and afterwards went to the Leyden University, where he graduated M. D. He then made two voyages to the East Indies as surgeon in the East India Company's service. About 1778 he was married and shortly after received an appointment as surgeon to the Naval Hospital on the Island of Barbadoes, a position of great responsibility. In 1780 a terrible hurricane devastated the island, where upon he furnished aid and medicines to the afflicted inhabitants without stint and without compensation. In 1781 he returned to England on account of bad health and during the voyage lost his wife. In 1790 he received from the Dutch government the appointment of surgeon-major to the colony of Demerara in South America; there he had charge of a military hospital of sixty to eighty beds.