Norwikian

My contribution here consists mostly of writings by the physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne a famous figure in world literature and medicine and a seventeenth century resident of Norwich, U.K. my home City.

For 2005 the year of Browne's quattrocentennary, I've transcribed An Alphabetical Table which appendices

A Letter to a Friend Doctor T.B's major medical essay.

Shorter pieces

Medical Observations Essential reading for those wanting to assess Browne's true medical status.
On Dreams Sir T.B. as proto-psychologist. Get that creaky spelling!
Upon the darke thick miste 17th C. freak Climatic conditions
Account of a thunderstorm 17th C. freak Climatic conditions
On Bubbles Forever blowing, forever observing nature's properties.
On Echoes
Observations on frogs
Observations on eggs
On fossil remains in Norfolk

On Arthur Dee On his friendship with Arthur Dee to Elias Ashmole.
Alchemical manuscripts Offered to loan to Ashmole in correspondence dated 1658 (see above).

- from Latin original
- To a friend intending a difficult work
- from Latin original
- To an illustrious friend on his wearisome Chatterer
- from Latin original
- From a reading of Athenaeus
- from Latin original
- The Sea-fight
- from Latin original
- Notes on Cookery of the ancients

I just love these lines-

I wish we knew more clearly the aids of the ancients, their sauces, flavours, digestives, tasties, slices, cold meats, and all kinds of pickles. Yet I do not know whether they would have surpassed salted sturgeons’ eggs, anchovy sauce, or our royal pickles.

Along with gastrognomic pleasures it appears Dr. T.B was well-aquainted with peculiarities of human sexual behaviour -

The impudent wantonness of the ancients placed sponges in the natural parts of women that by expanding they might produce a lewd and as it were haunching movement in the female, whence a keener lust is provoked in the male. In the elaborations of coition almost nothing has been untried.....the indecent egg of Aurelius (from a reading of Athenaeus)

To read a selection of Browne's best quotations go to http://quote.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Browne

The Romantic poet and essayist Coleridge wrote perceptively upon Sir T.B. Letter on Browne. A small piece by Coleridge on The Alchemists is also available.

Other medical authors

Hippocrates (circa 460 BCE - 377 BCE) "the father of medicine"

Paracelsus (1493-1543) Swiss alchemist-physician

Spagyrical writings

Whilst I may appear to be heavily monothematic my interests are more diverse, honest! Visit my vanity page at Wikipedia to find out what else I'm into. http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Norwikian