Mark Akenside

Biography

• Born on November 9, 1721 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
• Born to a family of English Dissenters (Protestant Christians who separated from the Church of England), he was removed from Newcastle Grammar school and taught in the ways of the ministry.
• 1739 – Enrolled at University of Edinburgh to study theology, but switched to the study of ‘physic’
• 1740 – Graduated medicine, University of Edinburgh
• 1744 – MD, University of Leyden. D.M.I. de Ortu et Incremento Fœtus Humani.
• 1751 – Licentiate of the College of Physicians
• 1752 – MD, Cambridge University
• 1755 – Gulstonian Lecturer; Croonian Lecturer (1756); and Harveian orator (1759)
• 1759 – Physician to St. Thomas’s hospital
• 1761 – Physician in ordinary to the Queen
• Died 23 June 1770

Key Medical Attributions

• 1763 – First described ‘Contusio cordis‘ (Latin: ‘bruising of the heart’)
• 1767 – First described the external manifestations of von Recklinghausen disease (NF-1) published in 1768

Major Publications

• Akenside M. An epistle to Curio. London: Dodsley. 1744
• Akenside M. Odes on several subjects. London: Dodsley. 1745
• Akenside M. The pleasures of imagination: a poem, in three books. London: Dodsley. 1757
• Akenside M. An ode to the country gentlemen of England. London: Dodsley. 1758
• Akenside M. An Account of a Blow upon the Heart, and of Its, Effects. Royal Society of London. 1763. [Contusio cordis]
• Akenside M. De Dysenteria Commentarius. Londini: Dodsley. 1764
• Akenside M. Observations on cancers. Medical Transactions. Royal College of Physicians of London. 1768;1:64-92. [von Recklinghausen disease]

The Pleasures of the Imagination – a poem, in three books’ was first published in 1744.

• Book I: defines the powers of imagination and pleasure that can be derived from the perception of beauty;
• Book II: distinguishes works of imagination from philosophy;
• Book III: describes the pleasure to be found in the study of man, the sources of ridicule, the operations of the mind, in producing works of imagination, and the influence of imagination on morals.

References

• Gilfillan G. The poetical works of Mark Akenside. New York: AMS Press. 1969 [Reprint of the 1845 ed. compiled by Alexander Dyce]
• Kohl P, Nesbitt AD, Cooper PJ, Lei M. Sudden cardiac death by Commotio cordis: role of mechano-electric feedback. Cardiovasc Res. 2001 May;50(2):280-9.
• Biography: Mark Akenside. Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London. Munk’s Roll: Volume II:195.