Medical directions written for Governor Winthrop
Dublin Core
Title
Medical directions written for Governor Winthrop
Subject
Covers
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894
Stafford, Edward, b. 1617 (author)
Description
English physician Edward Stafford compiled a book of basic recipes for medical disorders such as madness, vertigo, and the king’s evil for John Winthrop (1588-1649), the governor of Massachusetts. At the request of Robert C. Winthrop, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Holmes annotated the text and presented a paper on it to the society in 1862; he also then incorporated the Stafford recipes into his introductory lecture at Harvard that November. Holmes said, “Whatever we may think of Dr. Stafford’s practice, it is not certain that his patients would all have done better under the treatment of the present day. Some differences there would certainly be in our favor…. But slight cases of disease would commonly get well under his treatment, and severe ones often die under ours…. Though some of his prescriptions may cause us to smile or shudder, it would be well if a physician of our time, whose prescriptions should be exhumed in the year 2080, were able to stand the examination of posterity as creditably as the very respectable Dr. Stafford.”
Abstract
Cover of Medical directions written for Governor Winthrop by Edward Stafford, of London, in 1643, with notes by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
Creator
Stafford, Edward, b. 1617
Publisher
John Wilson and Son
Date Created
1862
Contributor
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894
Rights
The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
Access Rights
Access to the original work depicted requires advance notice. Contact Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu for additional information
Is Part Of
Harvard Medical Library Rare Books Collection (RS125.S13)
Format
text
Extent
1 cover
Language
English
Type
text
Identifier
DigID0002189
Provenance
Transferred from the Harvard College Library to the Library of Harvard Medical School, 1942
Files
Collection
Citation
Stafford, Edward, b. 1617, “Medical directions written for Governor Winthrop,” OnView, accessed April 28, 2024, https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/6318.