Joseph Wright of Derby and Dr Erasmus Darwin, the artist and his physician.

In 1767 at the time of his great "candlelight" paintings of science and the Enlightenment, and , Wright of Derby developed the illness that plagued him for the rest of his life and became a patient and life-long friend of Dr Erasmus Darwin. Wright's recorded complaints and the periodicity are highly suggestive of the major depressive illness, seasonal affective disorder.

Sir William Knighton Bt MD GCH LRCP (1776-1836): courtier and confidante--testimony to physicianly virtues?

Sir William Knighton went from general practitioner in Devon to close friend and adviser of King George IV. He contributed remarkably to the stability of the Crown, bringing this dysfunctional King's finances under control and enabling the work of government requiring Royal decision-making to proceed much more effectively than it might otherwise have done. Inevitably he was involved in the making and breaking of ministries but appears to have done so with some reluctance.