Arnott, NEIL

Arnott, NEIL, was born at Arbroath in 1788, the son of a Catholic farmer. From Aberdeen Grammar-school he proceeded to Marischal College; and after going through the medical course, came up to London in 1806, and studied seven months at St George's Hospital. He made two voyages to China as surgeon in the service of the East India Company, then from 1811 till 1855 carried on a large practice in London. He was physician to the French and Spanish embassies, an original member of the senate of the London University (1836), a fellow of the Royal and Geological Societies, and Physician Extraordinary to the Queen (1837). He died in London, 22d March 1874. A course of lectures (1823-24) on natural philosophy in its applications to medicine formed the basis of his Elements of Physics, or Natural Philosophy, General and Medical (1827, 7th ed. 1876). In 1832 he invented the Water-bed (q.v.); and his treatise on Warming and Ventilating (1834) describes the 'Arnott Stove' and 'Arnott Ventilator' (see the article WARMING in Vol. X.). His Survey of Human Progress (1861) is full of enlightened views on improvement generally. He was a munificent benefactor to the higher education, he and his widow giving no less than £12,000 to the London University, the four Scottish universities, and two ladies' colleges in London.