| dc.description.abstract | For over two millennia astrology and medicine were interrelated aetiological pursuits: the vocation of the astrologer paralleled that of the physician, since both investigated the causes of the emergence of signs (symptoms). In early modern England, the critical importance of astrology to medicine is highlighted by its deployment in a range of practices: those of astrologers, physicians, surgeons and various ‘irregulars’. Yet only a minority, the astrologers, were skilled in the complex methodologies of the Astrological Figure (‘horoscope’). An important dimension of medical practice, these vitally important Figures have not been scrutinised, nor the astrological literature in which they appear. Existing studies have described the processes of an astrologer’s practice but have failed to invoke the Figure to explain them. Valuable questions have been asked, but they are no longer the only questions. Rather, they constitute points of entry into new aspects of medical research and a set of more complex processes. Invoking a technically informed understanding of astrology, this thesis represents the first scholarly attempt to explore astrology and its application to medical matters. Opening brand new terrain in terms of innovative methodological approach and interrogation of material, this thesis recovers astrological-medical information not to be found in any other source. Divided into two parts: Part One examines astrological-medical knowledge and methodology, important on its own terms and in relationship to the author. Part Two examines astrological-medical practice, its organisation, routines, rituals, encounters and processes. Restating the astrological model of healthcare in terms of the Figure, rather than a patient centred Galenic model, this thesis moves away from ‘natural/judicial’ classifications and anachronistic views of astrology as a system of unfounded ‘superstitious’, ‘irrational’ ideas and ‘crackpot’ practitioners. By incorporating astrology into historical-medical discourse a broader conception of medical practice is revealed, as well as an insight into the complexity and richness of medical provision. | en_GB |
