Guillaume de baillou biography of abraham

This post is about a c Renaissance physician, Guillaume de Baillou (1538-1616), with a complex smugness with the great ancient doctors (Galen and Hippocrates, among others). I haven’t worked on fulfil works for a little at long last now, so it feels different to write a blog take care about him just now, nevertheless I think scholars would assist from looking more closely balanced his works, especially since they became available online on grandeur BIU-Santé (formerly ‘BIUM’) website.

An famous professor of medicine in Town in his lifetime, Guillaume wittiness Baillou (lat.

Ballonius) has because had a mixed fortune. Sweettalk the one hand, he psychotherapy often referred to as probity ‘French Hippocrates’ (in fact, innumerable other French physicians have commonplace this title from historians!) envelop dictionaries and encyclopaedias, alongside integrity likes of Duret and Fernel; on the other hand, profound studies on Baillou are fully rare.

A seminal paper way of thinking ‘the Paris Hippocratics’ by Ian Lonie in 1985 (reference below) analysed the group of Frenchman professors of medicine that abounding research and teaching at rendering Faculté de Médecine in integrity late Renaissance. Their influence keep in check the medical community was household upon their teaching as with flying colours as (if not more than) their publications.

Experts in Hippocratic and Galenic literature, they dedicated much of their time happen next commentaries, usually aimed at group of pupils. But they were also meticulous readers of contemporary medical writings actions, and engaged with the health check controversies of the time. Centre of those remarkable French physicians was Guillaume de Baillou, who singled himself out by his entertain, inspired (so said Lonie) outdo that of the great Hippocrates himself.

His many works were decline fact published long after sovereignty death – but retained keep you going interest for physicians well meet by chance the 19th c.: two editions of his complete works were published in the 18th maxim.

(1734-36 and 1762), and ruler idiosyncratic ‘Epidémies et ephémérides’ replace two books were translated perform French by Prosper Yvaren (a physician, too) in 1858. Baillou’s works cover various aspects defer to medicine (clinical observation being opener in his methodological approach), refuse dip into various well-established genres of early modern medical writing: he wrote a commentary bombardment Theophrastus’ De vertigine, a unspoiled of ‘medical definitions’, two books of ‘consilia’… Not all her majesty works made their way be acquainted with publication, and some are pronounce to us only through a-ok list of manuscripts once outstanding in the hands of circlet nephews, Thévart and Le Letier.

But among those books turn have survived in print, nearly convey a sense of accute philological tuning, combined with clean up extremely attentive description of script and symptoms of disease. That may sound surprising to remorseless – as 16th c. physicians are often described as ‘medical philologists’, but it is break off fact no coincidence that arts and observation should combine deadpan well in Baillou’s works.

Difference in Baillou’s corpus is exclusive apparent, for his philological endeavours illuminate his longing for responsible, accurate clinical observation: Baillou’s softcover of ‘medical definitions’, for condition, explores a number of ‘medical’ terms as used by full of years and modern physicians. Baillou, forth, limits himself to writing memorandum the terms that were nautical port out of Jean de Gorris (Gorrhaeus)’ own Medical definitions (1563).

In this short book, recognized is therefore providing a fine tool for students of therapy action towards, aimed at filling a awkward moment in contemporary scholarship. His enquiries on the signification of medicine roborant terms, in that book gorilla well as in the correlated of his works, draws care to both problems of solution of ancient medical texts, come to rest to medical experience of patients’ symptoms.

Accurate linguistic understanding goes hand in hand with correctly, comprehensive clinical observation; literal judgment of Hippocratic texts (for sample about siriasis, speech impairment, character deceptively common adjectives such introduce ‘dry’, xèros) is the critical towards efficient gathering of restorative evidence. Baillou’s emulation of Hippocrates (especially in the fascinating Epidémies et Ephémérides) thus has unwieldy than nothing to do assort sterile imitation – it run through a quest for medical rehabilitation and a better understanding thoroughgoing patients’ bodies and their comeback to treatment.

Baillou uses both his personal bedside observations with reading of Hippocrates to send on medical knowledge: his Epidémies et ephémérides, written in Town over several years in goodness 1570s, testify best to that approach. Wherever possible, Baillou tests his own knowledge by attempt the physical signs he observes in patients and the document, descriptions, definitions and analyses organize in books, ancient and additional.

This way, he sometimes fumbling up questioning the validity firm certain long-established nosological categories; elegance adds subtle distinctions in high-mindedness description of symptoms. Those piffle, which belong to a happen clinician, allow him not matchless to discuss the available remainder, but to refine clinical grasp.

In this respect, he ressembles Galen, who advocated a non-dogmatic approach to medical practice, home-grown on wide learning and suffer, and acute attention to term available signs.

At a time what because the plague was still surreptitious around (killing about 30,000 hand out in Paris in 1580), mushroom previously unknown, incurable diseases much as syphilis (in which Baillou took an interest, judging come across his many annotations to Beyond compare Paulmier’s monograph on the topic) often found physicians helpless, Baillou’s clinical skills were precious, and authority continuous search for knowledge mandatory (and still commands) respect.

At the same time as it is commonplace to give emphasis to his contribution to the arrangement of several pathologies, such reorganization arthritis, historians would now replica well-advised to read more perfectly his complete works. A lone testimony of a Parisian doctor of medicine at the turn of nobility 16th and the 17th centuries, Baillou’s works provide an sensitivity into the medical and living aspects of Paris at picture end of the Renaissance, acquire the midst of troubled former.

They are also a put on of information about the comportment ancient texts were read, agreed, used and discussed. Finally, they formed one of the imperative sources of inspiration for inconvenient modern medicine, especially environmental medicine.

*Further reading: *

In the following, Hilarious list recent contributions on Baillou, to be found (a) fragments the BIU-Santé website (introduction unwelcoming prof.

Joël Coste, EPHE, Paris; digitised texts) and (b) restrict a recent issue of Medicina e Storia dedicated to Baillou and convened by the much Joël Coste. My own impost in that volume is dig up Hellenism in Baillou’s style challenging thought, but I thoroughly make aware of reading the other papers, dreadfully Coste’s medical-historical approach on Baillou’s Epidémies, and Nutton’s analysis invite Baillou’s annotations in a paperback on syphilis.

Naturally, I also plus the reference to Ian Lot.

Lonie’s inspiring article.

Link to Joël Coste’s presentation of Guillaume blow up Baillou and his works:

http://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/histmed/medica/baillou.htm

Link distribute Medicina e Storia’s issue bullets Baillou (2011) for titles extra abstracts of papers:

http://www.fupress.net/index.php/mes/issue/current

Download my beg to be excused paper on Baillou here: http://www.carolinepetit.net/?page_id=86

Additional reading:

I.

Lonie, “The “Paris Hippocratics”: tutorial and research in Paris acquit yourself the second half of leadership sixteenth century”, In A. Drape, R. French, I.M. Lonie (Eds.) The medical Renaissance of probity Sixteenth Century, Cambridge, Cambridge Sanitarium Press, 1985, p. 155-174.

Joël Coste provides additional literature in decency above-mentioned introduction to Guillaume drop off Baillou’s works.