James Parkinson (1755-1824) was an English physician who made a number of significant medical discoveries. These included recognition of the nature and danger of a perforated appendix, and first describing the condition known ever since as “Parkinson’s disease.” He was also an ardent amateur geologist, apparently the first to recognize the plant origin of coal. He also wrote extensively on the Biblical flood and its geological effects, especially in the formation of coal and oil.
Excerpted from Men of Science, Men of God by Henry M. Morris. Copyright 1982, 1988 by Henry M. Morris. Used by permission.