Pox in Jamaica,’ 1851–2 (Trans. Epidemiological Soc. 1858, pp. 1–12). In 1858 Seaton was appointed an inspector under the general board of health, and was engaged in reporting on the state of vaccination in England, which he found to be deficient and requiring an amendment in the law. He contributed the article on vaccination to Reynolds's ‘System of Medicine’ (1866, i. 483–519), and published his well-known ‘Handbook of Vaccination’ (1868), a ‘Report on Animal Vaccination,’ and ‘On the recent Small-pox Epidemic with reference to Vaccination,’ in the new local government series in 1874. His efforts led to improved arrangements for public vaccination. In 1872 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and represented Great Britain in the sanitary conference held at Vienna in 1874. From 1871 he acted as assistant medical officer to the local government board, and in June 1876 succeeded John Simon, C.B., as medical officer. In this capacity his sound clear judgment proved of great value. He died at the residence of his son-in-law, Thomas Spooner Soden, at 48 Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, London, on 31 Jan. 1880, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery.
Besides the works enumerated, he wrote: ‘General Memorandum on the Proceedings which are advisable in Places attacked by Epidemic Diseases,’ 1878; ‘Chelsea Vestry: Annual Reports of the Medical Officer of Health,’ 1885–90.
[Dudgeon's Official Defence of Vaccinations, Leicester, 1876; Medical Times and Gazette, 31 Jan. 1880, pp. 137–8; Proceedings of Medical and Chirurgical Society, 1875, viii. 485; Lancet, 31 Jan. 1880, pp. 188–9; Trans. Epidemiological Soc. 1880, iv. 431–2.]
SEATON, JOHN THOMAS (fl. 1761–1806), portrait-painter, was son of Christopher Seaton, a gem-engraver, who was a pupil of Charles Christian Reisen [q. v.], and died in 1768. Seaton was a pupil of Francis Hayman [q. v.], and also studied in the St. Martin's Lane academy. He and his father were both members of the Incorporated Society of Artists, and signed their declaration roll in 1766. He resided for some time at Bath, whence he sent portraits to the exhibition of the society, and in 1774 he exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy. His portraits were usually small full-lengths in a landscape. He subsequently went to Edinburgh, where he practised with repute as a portrait-painter, and was living in 1806. A portrait by him of Walter Macfarlan (d. 1767) of Macfarlane is in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1760–1893; Sequier's Dictionary of Painters.]
SEATON, THOMAS (1684–1741), divine, hymn-writer, and founder of the Seatonian prize for sacred poetry at Cambridge, born at Stamford in 1684, was admitted a sizar of Clare Hall, Cambridge, in 1701, under the tuition of Mr. Clarke, bedel of the university. He graduated B.A. in 1704, was elected a fellow of his college, and commenced M.A. in 1708. After taking holy orders, he became chaplain to Daniel, earl of Nottingham, on whose presentation he was instituted to the vicarage of Ravenstone, Buckinghamshire, on 9 Nov. 1721. He died at Ravenstone on 18 Aug. 1741, and was buried there on the 23rd. A large tombstone was erected to his memory in the churchyard, with a Latin inscription, which has been printed by Lipscomb (Hist. of Buckinghamshire, iv. 320, 323).
By his will he devised his estate at Kislingbury, Northamptonshire, to the university of Cambridge, on condition that out of the rents a prize should be annually awarded to a master of arts of that university who, in the judgment of the vice-chancellor, the master of Clare Hall, and the Greek professor, had composed the best English poem on the attributes of the Supreme Being or some other sacred subject. The first poem was printed in 1750, and the publication has continued uniformly to the present time, except in 1766, 1769, and 1771. Many of these compositions will be found in ‘Musæ Seatonianæ. A complete Collection of the Cambridge Prize Poems, from their first institution … to the present time. To which are added two poems, likewise written for the prize, by Mr. Bally and Mr. Scott’ (London, 1773, 8vo).
Seaton was himself the author of: 1. ‘The Divinity of our Saviour proved: in an Essay on the Eternity of the Son of God,’ London, 1719, 8vo; in answer to Whiston. 2. ‘The Conduct of Servants in Great Families. Consisting of Dissertations upon several Passages of the Holy Scriptures relating to the Office of a Servant,’ London, 1720, 12mo. 3. ‘The Defects of the Objections against the New Testament Application of the Prophecies in the Old, exposed; and the Evangelists Application of 'em vindicated,’ London, 1726, 8vo. 4. ‘A Compendious View of the Grounds of Religion, both Natural and Reveal'd: in two dissertations,’ London, 1729, 12mo. 5. ‘The Devotional Life render'd Familiar, Easy, and Pleasant, in several Hymns upon the most common occasions of Human Life. Composed and collected
