Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Johnstone, John (1603-1675)

by Thomas Seccombe (1866-1923)

JOHNSTONE or JONSTON, JOHN (1603–1675), naturalist, grandson of John Johnstone of Craigieburn in Nithsdale, and son of Simon Johnstone, who had wandered to Poland in the beginning of the seventeenth century, by his wife Anna Becker, was born at Sambter in Posen, 3 Sept. 1603. After attending schools at Thorn in Prussia and elsewhere, he proceeded in 1622 to the university of St. Andrews, where he matriculated on 29 Jan. 1623–4, and studied with special distinction in Hebrew and natural science till March 1625 (St. Andrews' Matriculation Register). The next four years he spent abroad, but returned to England towards the close of 1629, taking courses of botany and medicine at Cambridge, and continuing his studies in London during 1630, when he wrote the greater part of his first important work, the ‘Thaumatographia.’ He next proceeded to Leyden, where he graduated M.D. in 1632, and visiting England for the third time in that year with two young Polish nobles, his pupils, was admitted to the same degree ad eundem at Cambridge. After more travel on the continent Johnstone appears to have settled in Leyden about 1634. He practised medicine there for several years and obtained a great reputation. He was offered the chair of medicine at the university of Leyden in 1640, and two years later a similar offer was made by the elector of Brandenburg. Johnstone, however, preferred to study independently. He retired in 1655 to his private estate, near Liegnitz in Silesia, where he continued until his death on 8 June 1675. He was buried at Lessno in Poland.

Johnstone was twice married, first, in 1637, to Rosina, daughter of Samuel Hortensius of Fraustadt; secondly, in 1638, to Anna, daughter of Mathias Vechner, by whom he had four children. One daughter, Anna Regina, who married Samuel von Schoff, a noble of Breslau, alone survived him.

Johnstone's works were for the most part extremely laborious compilations, and according to Chaufepié and other critics they exhibit more learning than judgment; they were, however, much esteemed in England during the seventeenth century (cf. Wilkes, Encycl. Londinensis, xi. 235). The chief of them are as follows:

1. ‘Thaumatographia Naturalis in decem classes distincta,’ Amsterdam, 1632, fol.
2. ‘Historia Universalis, Civilis et Ecclesiastica,’ Leyden, 1633, 12mo.
3. ‘Disputatio medica inauguralis de febribus,’ Leyden, 1634, 4to.
4. ‘Horæ subcisivæ, seu rerum toto orbe ab Universi exortu gestarum loca,’ 1639, 8vo.
5. ‘Systema Dendrologicum,’ 1646, 4to.
6. ‘De Piscibus et Cetis,’ Frankfort, 1649, fol.; ‘De Avibus,’ 1650; ‘De Quadrupedibus,’ 1652; ‘De Serpentibus et Draconibus,’ 1653. The four works together, forming a complete survey of the animal world, are illustrated by copper-plates executed by Merian. They have been frequently re-edited, translated into German, Latin, Dutch, and ‘rendred into English by a person of quality,’ 1657, fol.
7. ‘Naturæ Constantia,’ Amsterdam, 1652, 16mo; translated by J. Rouland, 1657, 8vo.
8. ‘Idea Universæ Medicinæ Practicæ,’ Leyden, 1655, 8vo.
9. ‘Enchiridion Ethicum ex sententiosissimis dictis concinnatum,’ Breda, 1658, 12mo.
10. ‘Polyhistor, seu rerum ab exortu universi ad nostra usque tempora,’ Jena, 1660, 8vo; ‘Continuatus,’ Jena, 1667.
11. ‘Notitia regni Vegetabilis. …,’ Leipzig, 1661, 12mo.
12. ‘Notitia regni Mineralis,’ 1661, 12mo.
13. ‘Dendrographia sive historia naturalis de arboribus et fructibus,’ Frankfort, 1662, fol.
14. ‘De Festis Hebræorum et Græcorum Schediasma.’
15. ‘Syntagma Universæ Medicinæ Practicæ,’ Jena, 1674, 8vo.

[Niceron's Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des hommes illustres dans la République des lettres, 1729, tom. xli. 269–76; Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste, H–N, 2nd sect. p. 325; Moreri, v. 151; Biog. Universelle; Irving's Scotish Writers, ii. 41; Chalmers's Biog. Dict.; Brit. Mus. Cat.]

T. S.