John Martyn ( 1699 - 1768 )

Birth: Queen Street, London, England (12 September 1699) Death: Chelsea, London (29 January 1768) Profession: Apothecary Research Field: Botany Education: Emmanuel College, Cambridge (admitted 1730) Career: Worked in his father's counting house, but studied botany from an early age; lectured on botany and materia medica in London and Cambridge; practised as an apothecary and later as a physician in London; friend of Patrick Blair (FRS 1712); with John Jacob Dillenius (FRS 1724), Philip Miller (FRS 1730) and others, established a botanical society which met for some years every Saturday morning at the Rainbow Coffee House, Watling Street (1721); with Alexander Russel wrote the 'Grub Street Journal' (1730-1737); Professor of Botany, Cambridge (1732-1762), due to lack of encouragement he ceased to lecture in 1735; corresponded with Sloane, Linnaeus and others; published an abridgment of 'Philosophical Transactions' 1719-1750 (1734-1756) Membership: Fellow Election Date: 30/03/1727 Proposers: John Diodate.