biology

James Henry McLean

James Henry McLean is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James Henry McLean rather than just read about it. In short: James Henry McLean (August 13, 1829 – August 12, 1886) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Key takeaways

James Henry McLean belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James Henry McLean to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Henry McLean from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Henry McLean (August 13, 1829 – August 12, 1886) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Biography

Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, McLean was raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, where his father was manager of the Albion Mining Company. Having begun studying medicine with the mining company's resident physician, in 1842 he accepted $200 from his father, intending to sail to the United States and pursue a career in the medical field. He stayed aboard ship so he could visit Bermuda, then lived in Boston before settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1842. McLean secured a position as a clerk in a drug store, and continued to learn the medical profession, including courses at the University of Pennsylvania. McLean was briefly employed as a clerk for a mining company in Minersville. In 1849 he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he made a profit in the sale of building lots and he began a career in the patent medicine business as a partner in a venture to distribute a medicine, George A. Westbrook's "Mexican Mustang Liniment", which was touted as being for man, horse, and other beasts. In 1850, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where his success at turning a profit by purchasing and then re-selling the only supply of turpentine then available in the city led to his taking charge of finances for the Narciso López expedition that attempted to liberate Cuba from control of Spain. In 1851, McLean returned to St. Louis to continue his studies, and he resumed his work in patent medicine as the creator and distributor of "Dr. McLean's Volcanic Oil Liniment", a product that placed him in competition and caused controversy with his former partner in the "Mexican Mustang Liniment" venture. He graduated from the St. Louis Medical College in 1863, and continued expansion of his business enterprises, a monthly newspaper and almanacs. Sales of his patent medicines, including "McLean's Strengthening Cordial and Blood Purifier", were so successful that he employed an international sales force, and operated fleets of wagons, ships and railroad cars to facilitate their distribution. Mclean was elected as a Republican to the Forty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Thomas Allen and served from December 15, 1882, to March 3, 1883. During his career Mclean patented several inventions, including a dredging machine. In the early 1880s McLean patented an early version of the machine gun, which did not prove viable. As a devout Methodist, he opposed violence, and hoped that weapons capable of mass killing would prove to be so terrible that nations would be discouraged from going to war.

Death

McLean died in Dansville, New York on August 12, 1886, the day before his 57th birthday. He was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

References

Sources United States Congress. "James Henry McLean (id: M000548)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. James Henry McLean in Saint Louis: The Future Great City of the World. L. U. Reavis. 1876. Pages 705–707. Fike, Richard E. 1987. The Bottle Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Historic, Embossed Medicine Bottles. Peregrine Smith Books, Salt Lake City. Wilson, Rex L. 1981. Bottles on the Western Frontier. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson. New York Daily Tribune. April 26, 1873. Advertisement for Mexican Mustang Liniment.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Henry McLean

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Henry McLean claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James Henry McLean before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James Henry McLean ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James Henry McLean

In research: James Henry McLean appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James Henry McLean in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James Henry McLean is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1829 births, 1886 deaths, 19th-century United States representatives, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Henry McLean outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James Henry McLean in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James Henry McLean means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James Henry McLean out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James Henry McLean in simple terms?

James Henry McLean (August 13, 1829 – August 12, 1886) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Why does James Henry McLean matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James Henry McLean?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James Henry McLean.