James Mease

James Mease (1771–1846) was a prominent American scientist, horticulturist, and doctor from Philadelphia who published the first known tomato-based ketchup recipe in 1812. Early life and education Mease was born on August 11, 1771, the son of Philadelphians John and Esther (Miller) Mease. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1787, he continued in medical school there, receiving his M.D. in 1792. Early in his medical career, Mease published several articles, and he served as a surgeon for nine months during the War of 1812. Publications and collected writings Dr. Mease's published contributions to medical knowledge, however, were less significant than his contributions to several other fields. In addition to several medical works, Mease edited the well-received Domestic Encyclopedia (1803–04) and the two volume Archives of useful knowledge (1811–12), but he remains best known for this seminar 372-page volume, "The Picture of Philadelphia", and his 1807 Geological Account of the United States, which was among the earliest geological treatises by an American.