Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster | |
|---|---|
 Etching of Forster with his dog Shargs | |
| Born | (1789-11-09)9 November 1789 Walthamstow,London, England |
| Died | 2 February 1860(1860-02-02) (aged 70) Brussels, Belgium |
| Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Astronomer, physician, naturalist, philosopher |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Thomas Furly Forster |
| Relatives |
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Thomas Ignatius Maria ForsterFRAS FLS (9 November 1789 – 2 February 1860) was an English astronomer, physician, naturalist and philosopher. An earlyanimal rights activist, he promotedvegetarianism and founded theAnimals' Friend Society withLewis Gompertz. He published pamphlets on a wide variety of subjects, including morality,Pythagorean philosophy, bird migration,Sati, and "phrenology", a term that he coined in 1815.
Forster was born inLondon, on 9 November 1789, the eldest son ofThomas Furly Forster ofWalthamstow, who was abotanist, and follower ofJean-Jacques Rousseau.[1] He did not have the conventional classical literary education, but learned some science from his uncleBenjamin Meggot Forster.[2] TheGreat Comet of 1811 aroused his interest in astronomy, a science which he continued to pursue, and eight years later, on 3 July 1819, he himself discovered a new comet. He declined a fellowship to the Royal Society in 1816 as he disliked some of the rules. He matriculated atCorpus Christi College, Cambridge, in order to study law, but soon abandoned it to study medicine, taking his degree in 1819.[3] Two years before, he had married Julia, daughter of Colonel Mark Beaufoy, and taken up residence at Spa Lodge,Tunbridge Wells. After the birth of his only daughter he moved to Hartwell inSussex, and then spent three years abroad. During the 1820s, he converted to Roman Catholicism.[1][4]
After his return to England he became a fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society and helped to found a meteorological society along with SirRichard Phillips, which had only a brief existence.[1]
After his father's death in 1825, he took up his residence inChelmsford in order to be near his daughter, then a pupil at Newhall Convent. Here he undertook a series of researches on the influence of atmospheric conditions on diseases, and particularly oncholera which also involved a balloon ascent in April 1831. In 1833 he again went abroad, where he spent most of his remaining years, settling finally inBruges, Belgium. He continued writing during the latter part of his life, including poetry. He also composed selections for the violin. He numbered among his friends authors and scholars of his time, such asThomas Gray,Richard Porson,Percy Bysshe Shelley,Thomas Love Peacock,William Herschel, andWilliam Whewell.[1] He became avegetarian, following aPythagorean diet, and along with Lewis Gompertz, founded the Animals' Friend Society in 1833.[5]
Forster lived in Bruges from 1842 to 1852. He then moved toBrussels, where he died on 2 February 1860.[1]
In 1805 Forster had compiled a "Journal of the Weather" and had published hisLiber Rerum Naturalium. In 1806, inspired byGall's works, he took up the study ofphrenology.[1] Later he metJohann Spurzheim, and studied with him the anatomy and physiology of the brain. Forster accompanied Spurzheim to Edinburgh, where he communicated a paper on thecomparative anatomy of the brain to the Wernerian Society. On his return to London he published a sketch of Gall and Spurzheim's system, which, like many of his writings, appeared in thePamphleteer, together with an essay on the application of the organology of the brain to education.[2] He coined the term "Phrenology" in 1815.[6]
Forster was influenced byJohn Abernethy under whom he studied surgery. Abernethy believed in diet as being key to health. In 1813, Forster published hisPhysiological Reflections on the Destructive Operation of Spiritous and Fermented Liquors on the Animal System where he traced his vegetarianism to Italian renaissance writing,Pythagorean ideas on the transmigration of the soul, cruelty to animals, and Hindu practices. He also influencedShelley's conversion to vegetarianism.[7]
Forster's observations and studies inContinental Europe led to the publication, in 1824, of his "Perennial Calendar". In 1830 he collected and published the letters ofJohn Locke,Shaftesbury, andAlgernon Sydney which he inherited from Benjamin Furly.[1]
Other publications included:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Cites:
