David Gregory (physician)

David Gregory was a Scottish physician and inventor. His surname is sometimes spelt as Gregorie, the original Scottish spelling. He inherited Kinnairdy Castle in 1664. Three of his twentynine children became mathematics professors. He is credited with inventing a military cannon that Isaac Newton described as being destructive to the human species. Copies and details of the model no longer exist. Gregorys use of a barometer to predict farmingrelated weather conditions led him to be accused of witchcraft by Presbyterian ministers from Aberdeen, although he was never convicted.

Gregory, born onDecember 1625, was the secondeldest son of John Gregorie , minister at the small parish village of Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, where Gregory was born. The family surname is sometimes spelt Gregorie, as in the original Scottish. His mother was Janet Anderson, whose father David was said to be exceptionally talented in the fields of medicine and mathematics. Gregorys younger brother was James Gregory, the designer of the Gregorian telescope.

Source: Wikipedia