Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 679

ARCHIBALD PITCAIRN (1652-1713) The philosophical and mathematical elements of physick. Printed for Andrew Bell and John Osborn 1718 xxxii, 368 pp. 19.8 cm.

Pitcairn began his studies at the University of Edinburgh where he received his M.A. degree in 1671. He subsequently studied law at Edinburgh and Paris and then medicine at Rheims where he received his medical degree in 1681. He returned to practice and teach at Edinburgh and became one of the first three professors on the medical faculty at the University. Pitcairn became an ardent supporter of the Iatrophysical School of thought (see No. 496) and his work had a significant impact on the scientific community of his day. His ideas had a major influence on the work of Hales (see No. 784) as well as his students, Boerhaave (see No. 739 ff.) and Mead (see No. 766 ff.). This work contains two books which express the basic arguments of iatrophysics as applied to medicine. In the first book, Pitcairn discusses the importance of such matters as temperament, innate heat, and the proper methods of prescribing therapy. The second book concentrates on specific diseases and their treatment, following the tenets of iatrophysical medicine. Pitcairn first published this book in Latin in 1717 under the title Elementa medicinae physico-mathematica and this first English edition may have been translated by John Quincy (see No. 712 ff.).

See Related Record(s): 496 784 739 766 712

Cited references: Osler 3684

Gift of John Martin, M.D.