John Locke, 1632-1704, physician and philosopher : a medical biography / with an edition of the medical notes in his journals.

  • Kenneth Dewhurst
Date:
1963
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: John Locke, 1632-1704, physician and philosopher : a medical biography / with an edition of the medical notes in his journals. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    measles, 1 and one of their tenants' children who had been bitten by a mad dog. 2 His Oxford visit was cut short by political events. Thanet House was now the centre of Whig intrigue, as Shaftesbury, who had lost office in the previous autumn, was working on the Exclusion Bill, and Locke was sent on several secret political missions. During these restless months he went on amassing medical information from home and abroad. He asked Thoynard to send particulars of new discoveries in all branches of medicine, 3 and they were soon exchanging information with M. Gendron 4 on the surgical treatment of fistulae; the most efficacious method of administering quinine, 5 and details of an Indian remedy for jaundice. 6 But Thomas, who also sought Locke's advice on the use of quinine, 7 seemed unaware of his political work, and assumed that he would shortly lead the placid life of a medical don. If your business at Oxford be not to doe exercise and proceed Doctor [wrote Thomas], or other businesse which will not deteine you long there I should desire you to contrive as much time at Salisbury as you canne, that wee may consider of a febrifugium to cure agues with, without the assistance of cortex Peruv, which often proves soe deare that few canne willing submitt to the charge. I have tryed severall ways & what was successful at the beginning was not soe from the middle of September to this time. The use of quinine, and the correlation of information from physicians practising in various parts of the country, were two of Locke's main medical interests, as shown in Dr. Jacob's 8 reply to his inquiries: Truly Sir I have often thought how desirable a paper commerce might be between Phisitians living at some convenient distance, especially in emperica!! medicine. For usually the presse gives us notice of what hypotheses rise and fall in the world, but for the Arcana's, men usually suppresse them, or doe not deliver them faithfully and fully provd by many successes. Sir, I did lately by accident meet with that method of application, beginning at the End of one fitt to the accesse of a subsequent for no doubt those periodical! and morbifick ferments, have great analogy to the flux and reflux of the sea, where no sooner those reciprocations are come to the Ebbe, but the floud begins and from the instant of the floud the Ebbe begins: so as that when the hott fitt ends, is 1 Ibid., c. 22, ff. 46-7, 16 Jan., 1683. 2 Ibid., ff. 48-9, 29 May, 1683. s Ollion, op. cit., pp. 47-52, 20 May, 1680. 'B.L., MS. Locke, c. 21, ff. 49-51; ff. 53-4; ff. 55-6, 26 June-24 Aug., 1680; Ibid., c. xo, f. I, and f. 2,1 July and 22 Aug., 1680; and Ollion, op. cit., pp. 57-60, 4 July, 1680. 5 Ollion, op. cit., 65-72, 4 Sept., 1680. 11 B.L., MS. Locke, c. 21, ff. 62-3, 18 Oct., 1680. ' Ibid., c. 20, ff. 19-20, 19 Sept., 1680: f. 23, 13 Oct., 1680. 8 Ibid., c. 12, ff. 13-14, 27 Sept., 1680.
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