James Currie

James Currie was born on the 31 May 1756, the only son of James Currie, Minister of the church Kirkpatrick, Fleming in Dunfriesshire.He was educated at the local parish school, before being sent to Dumfries Grammar School. In 1771, he visited Glasgow intending to study medicine, however having heard stories of the Americas, the young Currie was determined to emigrate. At the age of fifteen he set sail for America, landing at Virginia on 21 September 1771, where he gained employment in a mercantile store on the James River. He suffered from endemic fever shortly after arriving, and soon realised that his prospects of making a fortune were not as favourable as he would have hoped. During his stay in America his father died in 1774, leaving several daughters and very little else, Currie wrote home relinquishing his estate in favour of his sisters. During the lead up to the American war of independence, Currie published an article in the “Pinckney Gazette” defending the Scottish citizens against charges brought against them by the Americans.

He moved to Richmond, Virginia where he lived with a relative, a Physician of the same name, giving up a career in commerce, he now determined to become a Doctor. In 1776, he set sail for Scotland, where he planned to graduate from Edinburgh, before returning to practise medicine in America. However it would be May 1777, before Currie would reach home, twice the ships he sailed on were seized by the warring colony, and twice he was drafted into the colonial army only escaping service by paying a hefty payment. He was left almost destitute when an English Admiral in the West Indian Station refused to pay him for goods he had supplied; exhausted and almost ruined Currie again contracted fever, which was followed by paralysis. While he recovered he made his way to Antigua, eventually sailing for England, delayed by bad weather he arrived at Deptford, on May 2, 1777. Later that year he enrolled at Edinburgh University, the following year he was diagnosed with having Rheumatic Fever, which would ultimately contribute to his death. He applied for a position in the West Indies but needed a degree, hearing that one could be obtained in a shorter period at Glasgow University he enrolled, graduating in April 1780. Arriving in London he found the appointment had been given to someone else, undaunted he was still determined to set sail for the West Indies, however his ship was delayed, and while in London he was to change his mind after learning of a position in Liverpool, he was awarded the position settling in Liverpool in October 1780. Within a short period of time Currie had become a prominent and respected figure in Liverpool. He was elected Physician to the Dispensary. AHe was, along with several other notable people of the time, (which included William Roscoe,) one of the founders of the literary society, later becoming its President.

He began the Institute for the Recovery of Drowned People, in 1790 he helped found the Liverpool Lunatic Asylum. He campaigned for and succeeded in getting a doctor/surgeon appointed to every ship.

In 1783, he married Lucy Wallace the daughter of William Wallace, a wealthy merchant of Liverpool. Shortly after his marriage he became ill again, his pleurisy returned and he retired to Bristol to recuperate before returning to Liverpool. He was a staunch supporter of the abolition of the slave trade. In 1792 he was elected to the FRS. In 1793, using the pseudonym Jasper Wilson, he wrote several letters to the PM, Pitt, to try and persuade him not to declare war on France, when it was disclosed that Jasper Wilson was indeed Currie, his practice suffered a little, because of this he was to avoid politics for the rest of his life. In 1924 the French uncovered a memorial tablet in St Johns Gardens (The former site of the French POW camp) in gratitude to Currie for rescuing the French prisoners of war from starvation.

James Currie is best remembered for his medical report (Published in 1797) on the effects of water, cold and warm as a remedy in Fever and Febrile diseases, whether applied to the surface of the body or used as a drink. After the death of his friend Robert Burns, Currie was invited to write a biography of his friend in order to help Burn's wife and children who the bard had left penniless. However, it is generally thought that Currie distorted the story of Burns's life in order to use the poet as a warning against the evils of drink. Soon after, Currie’s own heath started to fail him, and in 1804 he moved to Bath in the hope of a cure, after a short time he decided to settle in Bath. However his condition worsened and he moved to Sidmouth, where on 31 August 1805, he died of Valvular disease of the heart. A Database of the Correspondence of James Currie (1756-1805)