John Huxham, the son of a butcher, was born at Totnes, Devonshire, in 1692. He was educated in nonconforming schools, including the dissenting academy at Exeter, and then in 1715, went to Leyden to study under Boerhaave, but as he was unable to remain the requisite three years, he was graduated M.D. at Rheims in 1717. He started in practice, but as the dissenters were for the most part poor, this did not flourish, so he joined the established church. He did not believe in hiding his light under a bushel and followed the custom used by some of the medical men of his day in impressing the public; he carried a gold-headed cane, generally appeared in a red coat, and when he went out was followed by a footman bearing his gloves.
Huxham had considerable learning and was able to read Hippocrates in the original. Of the Father of