On The Adaptation Of External Nature To The Physical Condition Of Man

John Kidd is a physician and educator who lectures widely on chemistry, anatomy, mineralogy and geology. He establishes himself as a Regius professor of medicine and a fellow of the Royal Society in 1822. In 1833, he publishes the second Bridgewater Treatise, which is an attempt to bring science and religion into harmony. The work is founded upon a belief in the antediluvian world and the revealed existence of God in nature. The work exemplifies the influence of natural theology within the scientific establishment before the era of Darwin.

Having studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, London, John Kidd (1775-1851) established himself as a physician and educator at Oxford, where he lectured widely on chemistry, anatomy, mineralogy and geology. Regius professor of medicine and a fellow of the Royal Society from 1822, he rooted his scientific understanding and teaching in natural theology. Published in 1833 as the second Bridgewater Treatise, the present work attempted to bring science and religion into harmony, drawing on such disciplines as anthropology and comparative anatomy. Seeking to demonstrate the superiority of humans in the natural world, Kidd argues that animals, minerals and plants had been adapted by God to serve mankind. Founded upon a belief in the antediluvian world and the revealed existence of God in nature, the work exemplifies the influence of natural theology within the scientific establishment before the era of Darwin.