The Viability and Character of Popular Medicine in Seventeenth-century England

Abstract

This study will demonstrate that the lay or "popular" medical practitioner played a major role in the provision of health care in seventeenth-century England. The medical "professionals" have generally been accepted as providing the most expert and "scientific" medical care (within the limits of contemporary knowledge), and, as such, have been the focus of attention for the majority of studies by medical historians. This study challenges traditional studies on the basis of geography, economic factors, religious influences and contemporary medical practices. The amorphous nature of seventeenth-century medical knowledge will be demonstrated to show the similarity between lay and professional medical treatment. To this end, female lay medical practitioners have been presented as a case study to illustrate the widespread nature and diversity of popular medicine and to assist in defining the role of the popular practitioner, a vital element within seventeenth-century health care.