Thomas Robie

Thomas Robie (March 20, 1689 – August 28, 1729) was a scientist and physician of the British colonies in America. His scientific interests were primarily in meteorology, astronomy, and medicine.^[1]

Biography

He was born in

On February 5 of 1723, Robie resigned his post as tutor at Harvard and moved to Salem where he began the practice of medicine. The likely reason for this move was his marriage to Mehitable Sewall of Salem,[1] daughter of Stephen Sewall.^[11] Robie's comprehensive knowledge of medicine was apparently self-taught at Harvard, as the colonies had no Medical colleges at the time and he lacked the finances to study abroad. He was known to have practiced medicine in Cambridge prior to his resignation from Harvard. After his relocation, medicine became his primary practice.^[1]

During an outbreak of smallpox in Boston in 1722, Robie aided in the administration of the new treatment of inoculation under the guidance of Boston Doctor Zabdiel Boylston.^[12] Due to fervent and bitter opposition, the inoculations had to be performed in isolation on Spectacle Island. On May 11 or 12, Robie administered the treatment to eleven patients out of a total of 280, and on the 17th he followed the patients to the hospital for their caretaking. The treatment was considered a success as the 2.1% mortality rate from the inoculation was lower than the 14.9% in the general population of smallpox patients.^[1]

On October 29, 1723, Robie used a nine-foot telescope to observe the transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the Sun. He wanted to see if he could detect an atmosphere, and he concluded, incorrectly, that the planet indeed had one. Thereafter there is no record of further astronomical observations, although he intended to continue. On April 15, 1725, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society,^[1] with whom he had communicated regularly during his career.^[13] Little thereafter is known of his scientific observations.^[1]

Robie died prematurely