A Subtle and Mysterious Machine : The Medical World of Walter Charleston (1619–1707) /
by S. Gaukroger ; edited by Emily Booth.
- vii, 297 páginas recurso en línea.
- Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 18 0929-6425 ; .
Springer eBooks
Rewriting Walter Charleton: Physick and Natural Philosophy -- ’The Alembic of Our Pen’: Charleton’s Identity as a Physician -- ’The Animal Oeconomy’: Natural History (1659) in the Context of English Physiology -- ’The Republick of Letters’: Charleton’s Identity in the Royal Society & College of Physicians -- Enquiries Into Human Nature (1680): Charleton’s Anatomy and Physiology After the Royal Society -- Three Anatomic Lectures (1683): Ways of Knowing and the Anatomical Body -- Conclusions.
Walter Charleton (1619-1707) has been widely depicted as a natural philosopher whose intellectual career mirrored the intellectual ferment of the ‘scientific revolution’. Instead of viewing him as a barometer of intellectual change, I examine the previously unexplored question of his identity as a physician. Examining three of his vernacular medical texts, this volume considers Charleton’s thoughts on anatomy, physiology and the methods by which he sought to understand the invisible processes of the body. Although involved in many empirical investigations within the Royal Society, he did not give epistemic primacy to experimental findings, nor did he deliberately identify himself with the empirical methods associated with the ‘new science’. Instead Charleton presented himself as a scholarly eclectic, following a classical model of the self. Physicians needed to endorse both ancient and modern authorities, in order to attract and retain patients. I argue that Charleton’s circumstances as a practising physician resulted in the construction of an identity at variance with that widely associated with natural philosophers. The insights he can offer us into the world of seventeenth century physicians are highly significant and utterly fascinating.