Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 388

ANDRE DULAURENS (1558-1609) De mirabili strumas sanandi vi solis Galliae regibus christianissimis divinitus concessa liber unus. Apud Marcum Orry 1609 [xv] 307 (misnumbered 293), [18] pp., fold. plate. 17.5 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 387

During the Middle Ages, tuberculosis of the lymph glands of the neck was very common and was known variously as scrofula, struma, and the "King's Evil." For centuries it was believed that the "royal touch" could cure this disease and many English and French monarchs were in the habit of touching their afflicted subjects during major religious holidays. Du Laurens was a firm believer in the effectiveness of the "royal touch" and, in this work, reports that King Henry IV often touched and healed as many as 1,500 individuals at a time. The work contains a magnificent folding copperplate engraving showing the King touching a number of sufferers who are gathered about him in a circle. The University of Iowa copy has an interesting provenance and can be traced back to Jean Auguste de Thou, its original owner, who died in 1617.

Cited references: Cushing D308; Garrison-Morton 3806; Waller 2626; Wellcome 1940

Gift of John Martin, M.D.