Bernard O’ Connor, King Sobieski’s Physician

An Irishman Bernard O’Connor (circa 1666–1698), a physicist, naturalist and historian, studied medicine at the Universities of Montpellier and Paris and he took his doctorate in Reims in 1691. During his studies in Paris he met two Poles, probably sons of Crown Chancellor Jan Wielopolski, and followed them to Poland, arriving first in Cracow and then in Warsaw. Owing to a recommendation by the Venetian envoy, O’Connor was introduced to King Jan III Sobieski who nominated him the court physician at the beginning of 1694. He strove to establish professional contacts with local doctors and naturalists, but failed to find many such practitioners. Consequently, he took up studying history and the current situation of the Commonwealth.

O’Connor’s stay in Poland was brief, as it lasted less than one year. A keen observer and eager reader, he also held discussions with eminent representatives of the local political and cultural life, above all the monarch himself whom he held in high esteem. All this contributed to his composing a two-volume book encompassing reflections on the past and present history, geography, law and political system of the host country. His book entitled The History of Poland in several letters to persons of quality was published in London in 1698 and soon after it was translated into German (1700) and Latin (1768). This valuable and original work, written at the occasion of the 1697 elections in Poland, is made up of O’Connor’s letters to various outstanding figures in contemporary England. Part one devoted to history is less interesting than part two, based on the author’s observations and discussions. The book constitutes the first ever comprehensive publication in English dedicated to the then Poland, its legal and political system, local customs, the country’s geography and nature. The History of Poland was illustrated with unsigned prints including the map of the Crown and Lithuania reproduced below.

A medical doctor, O’Connor made correct diagnoses (e.g. when examining King Jan Sobieski’s sister, Katarzyna Radziwiłł), as a result of which he was valued at the court. Consequently, he had enemies too. Being aware of the king’s fragile health, O’Connor realized that his patient would not live for much longer and that the monarch’s anticipated death would put an end to his own stay in the Commonwealth. Taking the opportunity of accompanying Teresa Kunegunda on her voyage to Brussels, O’Connor left Warsaw on 11 November 1694 as the princess’s personal doctor. He travelled though the Netherlands to London where he was admitted as a member of the Royal Society (1695). He maintained contacts with Poland and displayed continuous interest in the king’s health by obtaining updates through correspondence with Andrzej Chryzostom Załuski, the Bishop of Płock. O’Connor died on 30 October in London following a brief, unidentified illness accompanied by a high fever. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Giles in the Fields.