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John Browne (1642–1702): Anatomist and plagiarist
Author(s) -
Loukas Marios,
Akiyama Matthew,
Shoja Mohammadali M.,
Yalçin Bulent,
Tubbs R. Shane,
CohenGadol Aaron A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.20899
Subject(s) - medicine , prestige , classics , history , philosophy , linguistics
In contrast to many other physicians of his age, John Browne (1642–1702), an English anatomist and surgeon, managed to strike a balance in his career that spanned relative obscurity, prestige, and notoriety. Among his more prestigious credits, Browne was Surgeon in Ordinary to King Charles II and William III. He also had numerous publications to his name, some of which are credited as great innovations. His career, however, was tempered by his most important book, which has been critiqued by his contemporaries as well as modern historians as plagiarism. Although Browne undeniably copied the works of others and published them under his name, he was not alone in this practice. Various forms of intellectual thievery were common in Browne's day, and there were many perpetrators. The life of this overlooked figure in the history of anatomy and the stigma attached to him will be examined. Clin. Anat. 23:1–7, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.