| Authorised form of name | Houghton; John (1645 - 1705); apothecary and author |
| Dates | 1645 - 1705 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | c July 1645 |
| Date of death | 1705 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England, Europe (21 July 1645) |
| Occupation | Apothecary; Author |
| Research field | Agriculture |
| Activity | Education:
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (admitted 1664); Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1665)
Career:
Apothecary; dealer in tea, coffee, chocolate and other luxury items; Editor of periodicals on the improvement of husbandry and trade
Memberships:
Society of Apothecaries |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 29/01/1680 |
| Age at election | 34 |
| Proposer | Robert Hooke |
| RSActivity | Committee and panels:
Committee for Agriculture |
| Other Royal Society activity | Correspondent to John Beale, amongst others, on agricultural matters (1680s);
Appointed to report on Fellows' arrears (1682)
Had a discourse on coffee published in the 'Philosophical Transactions' (1699);
Had a paper read to the Society on calendar use in Protestant countries (1699);
Present natural history specimens to the Society (early 1700s);
Appointed auditor of the accounts (1702) |
| Relationships | Parents: Robert Houghton
Married: Elizabeth Claget |
| PublishedWorks | RCN: 45158 |
| OtherInfo | Houghton first published a pamphlet in 1677, which advocated for free trade and predated his periodically published collection on the improvement of husbandry and trade. Amongst his correspondents were fellow Society members, such as John Evelyn (FRS 1663), Robert Plot (FRS 1677), and John Flamsteed (FRS 1677). In one later issue (1693) he included his first advertisment for the chocolate he sold. His periodicals offer an insight into the overlapping realms of physicians, laymen, and naturalists and he is regarded as having promoted the traditional superiority of the physician and the London College of Physicians, despite himself being a member of the Society of Apothecaries, at that time in conflict with the former. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Hunter; LI; ODNB
Barry, J. 2018. 'John Houghton and Medical Practice in London c. 1700', in Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 92(4), pp. 575-603
Authority:
Year of birth from Hunter. Alternate sources (VIAF) have 1640.
References:
Cantor, G. 1997. 'Quakers in the Royal Society, 1660-1750', in Notes and Records, vol. 51, pp. 175-193 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/64357587 |
| Code | NA3232 |