John White (surgeon)

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John White (c. 1756 – 20 February 1832) was an English surgeon and botanical collector.

White was born in Sussex (some sources state he was born in 1750)^[1] and entered the Royal Navy on 26 June 1778 as third surgeon's mate^[2]. He was promoted surgeon in 1780, and was the principal surgeon during the voyage of the First Fleet to Australia. In March 1787 White joined the First Fleet transports at Plymouth, where he found that the convicts had been living for some time on salt meat, a bad preparation for a long voyage. He succeeded in obtaining supplies of fresh meat and vegetables for them, and arranged that they should be allowed up on deck in relays to obtain fresh air. His sensible and humane treatment was probably the reason why the number of convict deaths during the voyage was not higher.^[1]

White arrived in Australia in 1788 as Surgeon-General of New South Wales and organised a hospital, but was hampered by the lack od medical supplies. He became interested in the flora and fauna in the new land and wrote A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales (1790), which described many Australian species of for the first time. Journal had 65 copper-plate engravings of birds, animals, and botanical specimens, and during the next five years was translated into German and French.^[1]. White was the first to describe the South-East Asian frog Litoria caerulea, which was subsequently named White's Tree Frog. According to his journal, he severely disliked Australia, describing it as: "a country and place so forbidding and so hateful as only to merit execration and curses." He applied for leave of absence in 1792, and received it in 1794, sailing for England on 17 December 1794 and later travelled to Ireland. In 1876 he resigned his position when given the option of returning to Australia. White was a surgeon on the Royal William, and for 20 years he was stationed first at Sheerness from 1799 and then at Chatham dockyard from 1803. He retired on a half pension in 1820.^[2] White died in Worthing, England.