Biography of Thomas Garvine

Thomas Garvine, or Garvin as recorded, studied under Gerschom Carmichael in 1708, and was apprenticed to John Marshall, surgeon of Glasgow, keeper of the University's physic garden and lecturer of Botany from 1704.

Born in Ayrshire, Garvine became a surgeon in St Petersburg in 1713, during the reign of Czar Peter the Great. He was also sent on the first Russian medical mission to China in 1715, where he mastered the Chinese method of smallpox inoculation.

Garvine returned to Scotland after 1718, and practiced as a doctor in Ayr, where he was elected Provost of the town, reportedly for a record fourteen terms between 1724 and 1755.

Sources

Printed Materials

• Andrew Boyle, Ayrshire heritage, Darvel : Alloway, 1990.

Summary

Thomas Garvine
Born 1685.
Died 1756.
GU Degree: Arts, 1708;
University Link: Student
Occupation categories: surgeons
English snippet: Early student of medicine and physician in St Petersburg
Record last updated: 22nd Nov 2012

Country Associations

Scotland, Ayrshire
Place of Birth

Scotland, Ayrshire
Place of Death

China, Peking

Russian Federation, St Petersburg

University Connections

University Roles

• Student

Images

Thomas Garvine, matriculation 1708