Sir Hans Sloane

Born Killyleagh, Co Down 1660

Sir Hans Sloane

Father receiver general of taxes Co Down

Youngest of seven boys, three of whom survived childhood

Father died when Hans was 6 years old

Sir Hans Sloane

Boys educated at excellent local school and in the Castle library.

Sir Hans Sloane

Sloane developed an interest in natural history

Inspired by the flora and fauna of Strangford Lough.

Sir Hans Sloane He left at the age of 19 to study

in London, Paris and Orange

His main subjects in Paris were Botany, Chemistry, and Anatomy.

He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Orange-Nassau in 1683.

Sir Hans Sloane

He returned to London with a considerable collection of plants and other curiosities.

The plants were sent to John Ray and utilized by him for his History of Plants.

Sir Hans Sloane

1687 appointed physician to The Duke of Albermale, the new Governor of Jamaica .

He travelled to Jamaica and spent much time studying and collecting plants and animals.

Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane

Sadly the Duke soon died and Sloane returned to London and set up practice.

He married Elisabeth Langley, a wealthy widow of a sugar plantation owner.

He compiled his herbarium, collections and books.

He had tried drinking chocolate in Jamaica-a foul bitter taste!

He added milk and sugar.

And sold his milk chocolate to apothecaries for medicinal use.

The recipe was later bought by the Cadbury brothers.

Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane

The medicinal use of chocolate?

Sorond et al. (2013 Neurology) gave elderly subjects with normal cognitive function drinking chocolate or a substitute (double blind) and tested cognitive function and neurovascular coupling at three time points.

The control subjects showed no significant changes in either measure.

Sir Hans Sloane

Time taken to complete cognitive test. The decline in time indicates improved cognitive function after 30 days of drinking chocolate in those subjects starting with poor neurovascular coupling.

Also improved NVC in impaired group.

Sir Hans Sloane

1 glass per day for wine

linear for tea

Intake of Flavonoid-Rich Wine, Tea, and Chocolate by Elderly Men and Women Is Associated with Better Cognitive Test Performance

Nurk et al. 2009 Journal of Nutrition

Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane

Long term memory improvement in snails (Lukowiak et al 2012)

Sir Hans Sloane He promoted inoculation

Sir Hans Sloane

The use of Quinine He became physician to the royal family He treated the poor for free He continued to collect books, natural

specimens and artefacts.

Sir Hans Sloane

Revived the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

Editor 1693-1713 The first science journal.

Sir Hans Sloane

His collection became so large that he bought a large house in Chelsea.

He became President of the Royal Society

And President of the Royal College of Physicians

Sir Hans Sloane

On his death (1753) his will offered the collection to the Nation for £20,000.

The offer was accepted and the British Museum founded to house the collection

Sir Hans Sloane

He is commemorated in London by Sloane Square.

His statue is in the Physics Garden, Chelsea

And a bust at the entrance of the BM.

Sir Hans Sloane

By a memorial at Killyleagh Castle

Sir Hans Sloane

Recently by a new Sloane Square, Killyleagh

Sir Hans Sloane

And by the presentation of the Sir Hans Sloane Medal in Northern Ireland.

Sir Hans Sloane

An annual Sloane lecture in Killyleagh

Generously funded by The Cadogan Trust.

Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane