Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 579

JOHN SMITH (1630-1670) Gerokomía basilikè [Greek transliterated]. King Solomons portraiture of old age. Printed by J. Hayes for S. Thomson 1666 [14] 266 [5] pp. 16.6 cm.

In this small volume with a strong religious emphasis, Smith expounds on the description of old age found in Ecclesiastes 12:1-6. The book's chief medical significance is in the author's attempt to show that King Solomon knew of the heart's action and how the blood circulated through the body. Smith does this by interpreting and explaining the meaning of two expressions from verse 6: the pitcher at the fountain and the wheel at the cistern.

Cited references: Osler 4768 (1676 ed.); Waller 9029 (1676 ed.)

Gift of John Martin, M.D.