About Charles Collignon
Lived 1725 – 1785 (aged 60). Charles Collignon was a British surgeon, anatomist and university teacher.
Charles Collignon FRS (30 January 1725 – 1 October 1785) was a British surgeon and Cambridge's professor of anatomy.
Life Collignon was born in 1725 to family who had come to Britain from France. He attended Cambridge University where he became an M.D. in 1754.
In 1753 Collignon became Cambridge's Professor of Anatomy. This was a role that he was peculiarly suited to: he was said to look like a skeleton because he was so thin. Another source indicates however that his body was bought from resurrectionists but his skeleton is still in Addenbrookes Hospital.
In 1764 Collignon published an important work that summarised his understanding of anatomy. An Enquiry Into the Structure of the Human Body, Relative to Its Supposed Influence on the Morals of Mankind ran to 67 pages and it was published by Cambridge University.
In 1766 he started his final career when he became a physician to Addenbrookes Hospital. Another source indicates however that his body was bought from resurrectionists but his skeleton is still in Addenbrookes Hospital.
After he died in Cambridge in 1785, The Medical Works of Charles Collignon MD was published. Collignon's daughter Catherine made a £1000 bequest to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where her father had worked in 1832.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Charles Collignon's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Charles Collignon?
British surgeon and anatomist
When was Charles Collignon born?
Charles Collignon was born on 30 January 1725.
When did Charles Collignon die?
Charles Collignon died on 1 October 1785 in Cambridge.
What was Charles Collignon's occupation?
Charles Collignon was a surgeon, anatomist and university teacher.
What nationality was Charles Collignon?
Charles Collignon was British.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Charles Collignon
· DBpedia: Charles Collignon (surgeon)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Charles Collignon. https://biography.guide/charles-collignon-surgeon/
MLA: "Charles Collignon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/charles-collignon-surgeon/.
Chicago: "Charles Collignon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/charles-collignon-surgeon/.
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