born Feb. 13, 1728, Long Calderwood, Lanarkshire, Scot.
died Oct. 16, 1793, London, Eng.
British surgeon.
He never attempted to become a medical doctor but assisted in the preparation of dissections for a course of anatomy taught by his brother William Hunter . In the early 1770s he began giving his own lectures on surgery, and in 1776 he was named surgeon extraordinary to George III. He carried out many highly diverse and important studies in comparative biology, anatomy, physiology, and pathology and is considered the founder of pathological anatomy in Britain. He was an important influence on Edward Jenner .