John Sheldon (anatomist)

John Sheldon (1752 to 1808) was an English surgeon and anatomist. Born in London, he was apprenticed to Henry Watson, took his diploma from the Surgeons' Company in 1775, and lectured on anatomy at the Great Windmill Street school under William Hunter. In 1777 he opened a private anatomy theatre in Great Queen Street, where his pupils included Thomas Beddoes and Joshua Brookes. He succeeded Hunter as professor of anatomy at the Royal Academy in 1782, became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1784, and served as surgeon at Westminster Hospital and later at the Devon and Exeter Hospital. His research dealt with the lymphatic system and with embalming, and he published The History of the Absorbent System in 1784 and an essay on fracture of the patella in 1789. He is also remembered for his attempts at balloon ascents in 1784, one with Jean-Pierre Blanchard, and his mental health broke down from 1788, a condition now thought to have been bipolar disorder.