Mark Akenside (1721–1770) was a medical doctor and literary man whose influence on the history of ideas was profound.
Born the son of a butcher in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1721 Mark Akenside was awarded a degree in medicine from Edinburgh and Leyden Universities. He settled in London in 1743 where he was successful both as a doctor and in medical research. Above all, he was the author of The Pleasur...