An Account of a new Medicinal Well, lately discovered near Moffat, in Annandale, in the County of Dumfries.

Medicinal wells were believed to be essential for people's health, with the water containing its mineral contents used for soaking, washing, cooking and drinking. Whenever a new well was discovered, it was necessary to examine and evaluate its contents to assess how well it could serve the health needs of the consumer. This paper, An Account of a new Medicinal Well, lately discovered near Moffat, in Annandale, in the County of Dumfries. By Mr. John Walker, of Borgue-House, near Kirkudbright, in Scotland, describes the tasks accomplished to determine the usefulness of the new well's waters.

The paper, which was first read before the Royal Society on February 10 and March 3, 1757, was published in 1758 in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Volume L, Part I for the year 1757, pages 117 to 147. The paper, which measures approximately 6 x 9 inches, has been disbound from the Transactions. The pages are lightly tanned, with text that is clear and easily read. The overall condition of the article is good.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the first and last pages of the paper.

John Walker FRSE (1731–1803) was a Scottish minister and natural historian. He was Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh from 1779 to 1803. He was joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1790. Walker was a protégé of the chemist William Cullen and a colleague of Dugald Stewart, Joseph Black and several other Edinburgh professors who shaped the intellectual milieu of the Scottish Enlightenment. During his long career, he became a distinguished botanist, chemist, geologist, hydrologist, meteorologist, mineralogist, zoologist and economic historian, as well as being a minister in the Church of Scotland. [Wikipedia]