I recently had the honor to experience an 1809 edition of The English Physician. First published in 1652 by; astrologer, botanist, herbalist, and The People’s Physician. Nicholas Culpeper, one of my all time favorite herbalists. Nicholas was a man of his word. He cared deeply for the people of his little village, often giving away his services for free, or at a highly discounted rate. That way – even the poor, who couldnt read, write, or speak latin, could recieve health care.
Wise Words From The People’s Physician
7. Regard the Heart, keep that upon the wheels, because the Sun is the foundation of life, and therefore those universal remedies, Aurum Potabile (drinking-gold of the alchemists), and the Philosopher’s Stone, cure all diseases by fortifying the heart. Page 364.
Nicholas Culpeper VS. The Royal College of Physicians of London
Culpeper was deemed a rebel from the outset, in politics, in religion, and in medicine, and he hated the stranglehold that the College had on the practice of medicine in London. So in 1649, Culpeper produced an “unauthorized” translation of the Pharmacopoeia into English, which he published as The Physical Directory, outraging the medical establishment.
The Royal College of Physicians of London had issued the first Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, an official guide to apothecaries for preparing pharmaceutical remedies. It was written in Latin, so only the learned could read it, and it carefully omitted how the medicines were to be used.
To make matters worse for The Royal College, Nicholas revealed how each and every herb, oil, and syrup was to be used, including dosages. So now, anyone who could afford to buy the book could be his or her own doctor.
Literacy rate in 1650
Literacy rates in 1650. Dont forget Nicholas Culpeper was born 18th of October in the year 1616. He translated his first book in 1649 and published his first book in 1652. Here is a map of who could read and write in the year 1650.
