George Baker

George Baker, 1st Baronet, was born in Devon and was baptised there in 1723. He attended Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge. He obtained his MD from the University of Leiden in 1756. He was made a fellow of the Royal Society and was elected president of the Royal College of Physicians of London nine times between 1785 and 1795. Baker’s most significant research was on the subject of 'Devonshire colic', proving that it was not caused by acidity, as previously thought, but rather lead poisoning. Baker died in 1809.