Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 668

SIR JOHN FLOYER (1649-1734). A treatise of the asthma. London: Printed for R. Wilkin, 1698. 247 pp; 16.3 cm.

Floyer was one of the most eccentric physicians of his time, and his works show great independence of thought as well as a true spirit of research. He was perhaps the first to measure the pulse with the aid of a specially adapted watch and to attempt to establish relationships between the pulse rate and conditions of health and disease. Floyer suffered from asthma for many years and often made himself a subject for investigation during his research into asthma. In this work, he discusses the influence of heredity in asthma and includes an early description of emphysema.

Cited references: Cushing F213 (1717 ed.); Garrison-Morton 3166; Osler 2614; Wellcome III, p. 34