John Scoffern (1814–1882) was an English surgeon and popular science writer.
He was born in Dutson, Cornwall, the son of William Scoffern (1783–1854) and his wife Wilmot Crocker, was educated by the Rev.
He then attended University College, London and Aldersgate Medical School.
He was in the Château de Saint-Cloud, occupied by the Prussian forces, when it was shelled by French guns in October 1870.
He tended the sick and wounded in Paris, and was awarded the Iron Cross in 1871 for bravery and his medical work.