Medicine and music: a note on John Hunter (1728-93) and Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Joseph Haydn was a central figure in the development and growth of the European classical musical tradition in its transition from the Baroque period. John Hunter as the Founder of Scientific Surgery was a dominant figure in 18th-century British medical science. Anne Hunter née Home (1742-1821) was in her own right a figure of some eminence in the literary circles of 18th-century London. Attracted to the burgeoning medical and musical scenes of London, John Hunter married Anne Home and became a famous surgeon; Haydn became acquainted with the Hunters. The people, the opportunities and the circumstances had coincided.