John Young - An early medical visitor to Scotland

8/10/2019 John Young - An early medical visitor to Scotland

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T H E S C O T T I S H A N T I Q U A R Y OR

N o r t h e r n N o t e s a n d Qu e r i e s .

VOL. X VII. APR IL, 1903. No. 68.

AN E A R L Y MEDICAL VISITOR TOSCOTLAND.

JERO M E CARD AN , mathematician, musician, chiromancer,

astrologer, physician, master of enough Latin to answer Julius Caesar Scaliger, was a philosopher in the old sense, who,however, had a reputation more extensive than Italy, chiefly onaccount of a cure for phthisis, or phtoe of older nomenclature,

reported as very successful. He was invited to Scotland to curethe Archbishop of St. Andrews, John Hamilton,1 who sufferedfrom a periodic asthma which from time to time laid him asidefrom his important duties and negotiations.

Cassanate, the physician of the archbishop, was a Spaniard by

birth, possibly of Italian extraction, and in danger of the captioustemper of his master, but, obliged to try once again the advice ofa stranger, wrote to Cardan in November, 1545, to invite him to

Edinburgh, and giving him such a sketch of the case as wouldsecure his acceptance of the invitation.

No invitation could have been more disagreeable or lesstempting. To travel across Europe, which was not assuredly atpeace, to do this in winter, to risk weather and the discomforts of

1 Amulthon in Italian-Latin, De Vita Propria, p. 192.

VOL. XVII.— NO. LXVIII. N



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casual entertainment, to face the danger (by no means uncertain)of conflict with unknown medical men, of .unknown schools (if any),

to do all this on account of a churchman who, however eminent, was suffering from an ailment which gave every prospect of tediousduration, the eminence of the patient making certain the keenest

criticism of treatment, which must needs be strikingly successful

to avoid the censure of having been a striking failure, and that,

too, without the certainty of the original compact being fulfilled—

ten crowns daily during attendance — all these contingencies

were involved. Further, the return journey had to be faced,

the discomfort and danger. Cardan set to work as if he hadmade 'up his mind to go, seeing all on whom he would have todepend during his absence; he arranged regarding the publication of his works, taking some of them in MS. At last he reached

Edinburgh on 29th June, 1552. He travelled through France,

and gathered as he went the homage that seemed his due. Hestopped at Lyons and Paris, followed by the Cassanate letters.I do not say that these contained the pathology of the ailment, for

that had not been arrived at, but they were full of the phraseology

under which physicians at that time concealed their notions.These Cassanate carefully detailed to all whom he consulted ; thatauthority had covered the ground by forestalling the Italian, andif he could, had left a hard task for his rival and successor. Hehad given them to believe that Cardan would make them anoration, and that would necessarily have been on the case. But

Cardan was too wise or too wily to walk open-eyed into a trapfrom which he could not have escaped with dignity. The speech was deferred till his return, whether to be given at all is doubtful. After failure it would only have prolonged the controversy, aftersuccess it would have brought his life into more manifest danger by

the dagger of someone, for that way of settling medical disputes

was not unknown.

The question was whether the heat originated in the head or in

the heart. The symptoms were cough with difficulty of breathing. As these recurred daily or at short intervals, as they requiredabsence from business, and as the resident physician could giveno relief, as, too, the medical men of other rulers were glad to lendassistance to the illustrious patient, his cure was of the greatest

importance to the State. After coming to St. Andrews he watched his patient for some

time till he should make up his mind as to the treatment. But the



or, Northern Notes and Queries. 159

querulous patient felt tantalised, and roused his adviser to action.Setting aside the fanciful pathology, Cardan set about formulating

his treatment by the light of common sense ; and it was rational.He is credited with the introduction of a spirit into his body, but

there is no evidence of his making any preparation for such

proceeding, far less of his having need of it.

He recognised the loss of sleep which formed the first point ofimportance. The Archbishop was too much engrossed by his

office. No doubt his duties were exacting; and to a perplexed

man their first consequence was loss of sleep. The advice was, not

the Irish poet’s,

“ The best of all ways to lengthen our days

Is to steal a few hours from the night.”

Cardan thought the theft should be from the day’s work, and so heenjoined a diminution of the day’s labour such as would leave a

balance for rest. There was a matter not usually put into pre

scriptions which Cardan thought and thought rightly needed

regulation. The prescription appears in Latin as quoted by the

author of the Scotichronicon. One cannot now say if CardinalBeaton had the same advice; anyhow attention to the rule made

his assassination an easier task. Marion Ogilvy withdrew at

daybreak, and the assassins got in.Having secured sleep, the next thing was to get rid of the heat

or whatever the condition of the brain. Goat’s milk was to be

taken in fixed quantities, the goats having been fed on coolingherbs, and the milk sequent on the birth of a female. To depletethe brain a plaster of tar, pitch, white mustard euphorbium and fly

blister; this plaster to be applied to the coronal suture. If toostrong the spurge and white mustard might be omitted. To make

sure that the superfluous moisture did not settle down, a certainamount of rubbing was needed ; with rubbing went baths. Cardan

very soon realised the wisdom of his treatment; the patient slept,

and began to lay on flesh, while still under observation. Common-sense had saved the State official, but Cardan was abused for his

success. After eleven weeks Cardan felt that his return home could be

set about without harm to the patient; Hamilton assented un willingly, grumbling that he was only better, not cured. Hereturned through Flanders, as his friends deemed French robberstoo dangerous. His friends knew Cardan’s greed ; indeed, he was



i6o The Scottish Antiquary;

and always had been steeped in debt. In 1524 he had been electedrector at Padua, a post for acceptance of which only the gratifica

tion of vanity could be given. It was a “ disastrous honour.” Hisarithmetical gifts only hastened his difficulties by providing a“ system” by which he tempted fate at cards to his ruin. Hismarriage was an unfortunate one. Nothing can be said against his

wife save that she had no dot and too many relations. He admitsonce that her life with him was unhappy. He was adventurous asa publisher, printing books, but not remuneratively. In fact, hadit not been for Ottaviano Scotto he could not have done so much.

His satisfaction is pathetic at the success of the book De Malo Medendi Usu, the work of a reformer, but not a wise one. He hadheld posts as lecturer on various sciences, physic among others.But the chief obstacle to his success in his profession had been thesteady opposition of the Faculty of Milan, who refused him admission for many years on the ground of his bastardy, a quiteinsufficient reason. A better does not transpire. This lasted till1539, but before that time Cardan was an irregular practitioner,had been compelled to take asylum in the poorhouse, and wasknown as an unfortunate. I f lecturing did not pay, the gamingtable did, and so he did nothing, wasted time, and generally led anunprofitable life—one of the Infantiperduti of civilisation.

He had a promise from Cassanate1 of ten gold crowns daily forattendance, costs for his journey, 200 pieces in hand, and at the end1800 pieces, of which he kept 1400, the balance going to his

servants, who on one day received twenty gold crowns. Hecalculates that the archbishop paid talents. His fees from privatepatients are in addition, and were considerable. He cast horoscopes as he went along, not always skilfully, thus he did not foresee that the archbishop was to be hanged. That of Edward VI.2

was very unsuccessful (Geniturarum Exempla). Nor was his ownimpeccable. His astrology was of small account: there was notenough cunning to satisfy a gipsy fortune-teller. But the Italian

had a good eye for political combinations. I f he saw visitors whilein Britain he was too busy to pay his visitors enough attention.Perhaps they were strange to the place. His life, too, was precarious.

1 De Thou met him at Rome, and speaks highly of him (T. iv. Lib. 62,p. 136).

* Edward VI. is spoken of, and his impending misfortunes acknowledged{De Vi/a Propria, p. 219).



Finally he reached Italy, and therewith his interest to us is atan end.1

The “ vivid but on the whole disagreeable picture ” of Scotlandin 1435 left by yEneas Sylvius is skilful in the notice taken ofimportant features, as of the gratitude of beggars for donations ofsulphurous stone, the general absence of trees, the building withoutlime. He notes the use of skins for doors, the larger size of Scottishthan English oysters, the abundance of fish and flesh. The menare uneducated and poor, small in stature, but bold. The womenare fair and comely, but prone to the pleasures of love. The

country is divided into two parts, the cultivated lowlands and theregion where agriculture is not used. The exports are intoFlanders hides, wool, salt-fish, and pearls; imports, wines. Thehorses are mostly small ambling nags, a few only being preservedentire for breeding. He records the introduction of the rook, andtells its bad character as a cause of much harm to fields of corn.But the royal character of trees whereon they have built is noted.

He tells of the Barnacle Goose and of the Homines Caudati ofStrood.Contrasting with the wealth of Cardan’s time, it is incredible

that so much happened in twenty years. Yet the Jacobean periodis that in which the accession of wealth transcended anything offormer years. Don Pedro de Ayala reports (1498) that thecountry is one-third more valuable than it had been, andis increasing. His judgment is more just and valuable than

that of the priest more than twenty years before. TheSpaniard’s opinion regarding the women is more thoughtful thanthat above quoted. Conceal the date and one might imagine it thepicture of modem France, in respect of the seemly conduct andhousewifery which the Spaniard attributes to them. His missionis still a mystery, and twelve days unwillingly spent in the NorthSea have not improved his outlook on the strange land.

J o h n Y o u n g .

or, Northern Notes and Queries. 161

1 The facts are scattered through the following editions : Opera, tom. x.Lugdun, 1663 ; De Vita Propria, Paris, 1643, ed. Nodaeus.

John Young - An early medical visitor to Scotland

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