Biography
Hall was born in England around 1740, and studied medicine at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. After completing his medical studies, Hall practiced in the West Country of England, where he acquired "intimate knowledge of the living conditions of the poor". Hall read the theories of a number of influential classical economists, including Malthus, David Ricardo and Adam Smith. While he disagreed with many of the ideas of classical economics, it shaped his thinking. Hall's thinking was also shaped by his friendship with the land-nationalization advocate Thomas Spence, with whom he corresponded regularly.
Hall moved around throughout his career, but probably spent most of his life in Tavistock, Devon, practicing medicine. In 1785, he published The Family Medical Instructor, a medical reference book. Thereafter, his publications were primarily economic in nature. In 1805, he published his principal work, The Effects of Civilization, followed by Observations on the Principal Conclusion in Mr. Malthus's Essay on Population in 1813. In 1816, Hall was arrested for failure to pay a debt of £157, and he spent the next nine years in the Fleet Prison, before being released on June 21, 1825. While the exact date of his death is uncertain, it is believed that he died shortly thereafter.
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