Men who explained our world – Steve Matthews' book review | News & Star

John Gough was blinded before his third birthday as a result of smallpox. He was born in Kendal in 1757. 

Natural Awakenings by Ian Hodkinson

Remarkably he became a very capable mathematician and classicist and most remarkably he became one of Cumbria’s greatest naturalists.

He learnt by touch and through the observations of friends. He collected plants and animals and he experimented with growing plants in various locations. At a time when few people recorded the weather, he kept a meticulous record of the weather over several years...

This book makes a very important contribution to a part of the history of Cumbria which is largely forgotten.  
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Source: News & Star