The Scottish Surgeon and Biscuit Lover, Dr John Abernethy
The Scottish surgeon, Dr John Abernethy, was born on 3rd April, 1764. He practised at St Bart’s in London. No-one quite knows if he named the biscuit after himself, or a generous and appreciative aquaintance did so for him. Either way, the Abernethy biscuit arrived on the Scottish recipe scene.
Dr John Abernethy was an excellent lecturer, but a supposedly indifferent surgeon. He was known as a dogmatic curmudgeon who believed that disordered digestion was to blame for most diseases.
An indolent patient reputedly asked him, "What is a cure for gout?" Upon which Dr Abernethy replied tersely, "Live upon a sixpence a day and earn it”.
Dr Abernethy’s main reason for adding caraway seeds is explained in his knowledge that they have a reputation for being beneficial in treating digestive disorders.
