The 1665 Medical Theory of the Great Plague - Professor Vanessa Harding

TL;DR

In 1665 London, medical perspectives on the plague varied greatly, with different schools of thought and treatments. Londoners had access to a wide range of publications offering conflicting information on prevention and cure.

Transcript

it's not so easy to characterize how Londoners in general perceive the plague in medical terms because there were so many different schools of thought embracing a variety of disease diagnosis and treatments by 1665 the traditional galenic humoral understanding of disease favored by the College of Physicians had come under sustained attack from the ... Read More

Key Insights

• 😷 London in 1665 had a diverse range of medical perspectives on the plague, with conflicting theories and treatments.
• ⚖️ Galenic physicians focused on internal balance and used methods like purging and bloodletting.
• 🤘 Chemical practitioners turned to nature and treated patients with minerals and metals.
• 🖐️ Non-professional practitioners, such as empirics and herbalists, also played a role in treating the plague.
• 😷 Londoners had access to a wide variety of medical publications offering different approaches to prevention and cure.
• ❓ Gideon Harvey, a naturalized Dutchman, published a discourse on the plague, combining both galenic and chemical remedies.
• 👶 George Thompson critiqued galenic theory and practice, advocating for new treatments for the plague.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the traditional galenic physicians approach the plague?

Galenic physicians believed that the plague was caused by an internal imbalance, leading them to use purging and bloodletting as treatment methods.

Q: What methods did chemical practitioners use to treat the plague?

Chemical practitioners focused on natural remedies and treated patients with minerals and metals, believing that they held the key to curing the disease.

Q: Did non-professional practitioners play a role in treating the plague in London?

Yes, empirics, wise women, and herbalists practiced traditional medicine and contributed to the healthcare options available to Londoners during the plague.

Q: How did the variety of conflicting views on the plague impact Londoners?

While having a range of information to choose from was not necessarily reassuring, Londoners had access to a wealth of publications that covered different perspectives on the plague.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• London in 1665 had various schools of thought on disease diagnosis and treatment, leading to conflicting perspectives on the plague.

• Galenic physicians focused on internal balance and resistance to disease, using methods like purging and bloodletting.

• Chemical practitioners sought cures in nature, treating patients with minerals and metals.

• Londoners had access to a diverse range of publications on medical treatments during the plague.