   john hunter  (13 february 1728 â 16 october 1793) was a scottish surgeon, one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day. he was an early advocate of careful observation and scientific method in medicine. he was a teacher of, friend of, and collaborator with, edward jenner, the inventor of the smallpox vaccine. his wife, anne hunter (nÃ©e home), was a minor poet, some of whose poems were set to music by joseph haydn. he learnt anatomy by assisting his elder brother william with dissections in william's anatomy school in london, starting in 1748, and quickly became expert in anatomy. he spent some years as an army surgeon, worked with the dentist james spence conducting tooth transplants, and in 1764 set up his own anatomy school in london. he built up a collection of living animals whose skeletons and other organs he prepared as anatomical specimens, eventually amassing nearly 14,000 preparations demonstrating the anatomy of humans and other vertebrates. hunter became a fellow of the royal society in 1767. the hunterian society of london was named in his honour, and the hunterian museum at the royal college of surgeons preserves his name and his collection of anatomical specimens. == early life == hunter was born at long calderwood, now part of east kilbride, lanarkshire, scotland, the youngest of ten children. the date of his birth is uncertain; robert chamber's "book of days" (1868) gives an alternative birth date of 14 july, and hunter is recorded as always celebrating his birthday on this date rather than 13 july as shown in the parish register of the town of his birth. family papers cite his birthday as being variously on 7 and 9 february.moore, p. 43 three of hunter's siblings (one of whom had also been named john) died of illness before he was born. an elder brother was [[william hunter (anatomist)|william hunter
1728_births 1793_deaths 18th-century_Scottish_medical_doctors Alumni_of_St_George\'s,_University_of_London Alumni_of_the_Medical_College_of_St_Bartholomew\'s_Hospital British_Army_regimental_surgeons Deaths_from_myocardial_infarction Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society People_from_East_Kilbride Recipients_of_the_Copley_Medal Scottish_anatomists Scottish_surgeons